


Soul Pair - You are my destiny

by Mrs_AyraWuxian



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Eventual Smut, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Mpreg Eren Yeager, Vampire Bites, Vampire Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:48:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 39,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22511995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrs_AyraWuxian/pseuds/Mrs_AyraWuxian
Summary: Searching for his soul pair came to an end when Levi laid eyes on those beautiful pair of emerald green eyes...
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 34
Kudos: 199





	1. Chapter 1

It was Halloween. Every slutty costume was out of the closet and on voluptuous women. Men were equally dressed for the occasion, looking for flings for the night. But unknown to the general population, there lurked a community in the shadows, waiting for their prey. Halloween was one day they could roam out freely, just being themselves and having no need to hide their true colors. 

There were few rumours, speculations about these unique individuals. But, most of population lived and died without ever meeting one of these individuals in their true form. And if they ever encountered one of them, they would have call them 'Vampires'. 

Unlike the popular belief, vampires didn't shy away from sun. They looked like any other human. They were office workers, shop owners, singers, artists, etc. They didn't have a longer life span either. They reproduced like normal humans. But, one rumor had always been true. They sucked blood out of humans. 

Also, vampires mate for life. It was also said that the mates had been mates in all their previous lives as well. Their souls were designed to function in pairs. Without their pairs, vampires turned into wild animals, tearing and goring to fill the void left behind by the absence of another soul. 

Afraid of turning into wild animals, vampires usually roam the world to find their pair. It was also in their tales that the paths of the pair would cross no matter how far they are. 

If any vampire turned into wild animals, aka abomination, because they were unable to find their pair, they had special squad to get rid of them, known as survey corps. This was to prevent the abominations exposing the vampires to the world. 

Currently, Levi Ackerman was the captain of survey corps. But today, he was not an a mission. He was in the dark alley, waiting for the human blood sack he had paid for in the organization. There was a separate organization arranging for blood supply for the vampires. The organization chooses people usually those who are in need of money, to be the blood sacks. An individual is used only once, and after the deed is done, their memories are conveniently wiped out, by either the vampire who sucks the blood out of them or by the organization if the vampire is not from higher ranks or of the pure bloods. 

Vampires also had ranking system, where the royals were the top of the command. An vampire from the highest rank could make anybody submit to their command with release of strong pheromone. Levi, coming from pure blood royals, was unusually short for his stature, but made up for it with his extremely powerful pheromone. Even among the royals, he was the most feared one. 

_"Dripping blood choker with gold devil horns. Will enter the Southwest Turing alley at 8 pm sharp"_ were the instructions he got from organization regarding his blood sack. 

Turning alley was the place where vampires usually hang out, the place so dark that any sane human being would avoid, that is, anyone human who isn't paid to be there. 

Vampires had strict rules and standards they were expected to keep up. No vampire is allowed to suck their human blood sacks dry. They are not allowed to draw more blood than necessary. Violating this rule could mean imprisonment and continuous defaulters were given death penalty, for they could expose the vampire community. 

The clock struck 8 in Levi's Richard Mille limited edition watch. "Tch", said an irritated Levi, as his promised sack was not there. At the same time, he saw the most captivating pair of emerald eyes, gleaming under the soft street light, enter the alley. In a olive green turtle neck, accentuating those emerald eyes, entered a man, who was in his early 20's. 

But what Levi was looking for was there on the man. Dripping blood choker and gold devil horns. In lighting speed, he pinned the man down, away from the light. He ripped the choker with ferocity of an animal and sank his teeth into the soft skin of the man's neck. 

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhh" , screamed the younger man. Gaging the younger man's mouth with his hand, Levi continued. But, the usually stoic man, who had full control over himself and his instincts, couldn't tear himself away from the young man. 

*Badhump* Levi's heart started beating fast all of a sudden, making him dizzy. He half hoisted himself, using his hands, trying to steady himself. The younger man used this opportunity to get away from the short man as fast as he could, all the while trying to stop the bleeding from the wound on his neck. 

Levi had seemed to calmed down, when another man entered the alley. 

"Are you Mr. Ackerman? The organization said I could find you here. I'm here to help you out",said the man. 

When Levi looked up, the man was wearing dripping blood choker and gold devil horns. 

Levi's eyes went wide. "What?", he yelled. 

"Who the hell was that before?",he asked the other man, grabbing him by the collar. 

"Wh-what? I-i don't know. I came just now",stammered the other man, completely terrified by Levi. 

"Fucking shit",he swore under his breath and strode out of the dark alley.

He called the organization to let them know what happened, and to see who was the one in the alley before the assigned sack. 

But the entire time, his heart felt heavy, his gut had butterflies and his brain was a mess.


	2. Chapter 2

By the day, Levi was a corporate CEO. The legion group of companies, one of the most influential companies in the world. They were a part of every sector, from IT to mining to communications, you can name it and legion group was already in it in one form or the other.

Levi was currently managing the IT sector for legion group. That morning, Levi was attending a meeting with one of the companies legion was planning to acquire in the near future. But throughout the meeting, Levi's mind was fixed on a certain pair of emerald eyes. 

He couldn't get that younger man out of his head. Not because he was reprimanded by the organization for not checking with the person before sucking the blood, but those eyes stirred an unique feeling in him. 

The organization was not able to track down the man who had been there instead of the paid blood sack yet. But there was no rumor about vampires or blood sucking monsters in any of the social platforms or news. So, it was really difficult to track the man down. Even with the CCTV footage, it was a goose chase.

Those eyes kept Levi awake at night too, for all the wrong reasons. He tossed and turned in his bed, but was unable to get rid of the heat. Those eyes caused burning desires which he was not able to satiate on his own. He sighed and gave up, trying to catch some sleep. Little did he know that that sleep will evade him for a long time.

_________________________

"Mikasa, everything is set for today? ID cards, notepads, laptop-",Armin was stopped mid sentence by a stoic faced Mikasa stuffing a piece of bread in his mouth. 

"Armin, we double checked and triple checked the list. Everything is ready. We just have to leave",chipped in Eren

It had been three months since the incidence. Eren didn't breathe a word about this to his friends. Even if he did, who would have believed him? He secretly treated the bite mark on his neck. There was still a slight mark left behind, but nothing he couldn't hide with a copious amount of concealer. 

He didn't see his attacker. In his memory, everything happened in a flash. He was pinned down, gagged and assaulted. Yes, that's what he chose to call it. An assault. He tried his best to convince himself that it was an assault by a lunatic and that bite mark was his kink. He refused to believe in the existence of, well, vampires. In this day and age, only kids believed in such tales. He is a grown adult who is working with Legion now. 

Eren gave himself a small pep talk and geared up for the day. After all, they were going to meet the CEO of legion's IT sector. All the three of them had been under training to become the personal assistant for the man. All of them had heard stories about how he literally threw incompetent brats out of the office. Everyone was terrified of the CEO. 

That day, he was to chose one among them after evaluating their performance. Out 20 trainees, only these three were selected to meet the CEO, which was odd in itself. All the three of them were excellent, making it difficult for the deciding committee to choose one. So the task had fallen on Levi's hands to choose his own PA.

The group of three left the apartment, and headed towards the office. It was just hour before everyone's destinies changed forever.

________________________

Levi was reading a mail from Petra, a stand in PA. Petra was an IT analyst who was temporarily filling in for the absconded PA. Rumours were that, Levi loaded the PA so much that she fled the office without prior notice. 

_9:00 am : Meeting with the strategic team to resolve the conflict over Syntetix technologies aquisition._

_11:00 am : Meet the candidates for PA position_

_12:00 pm : …_

__,the schedule went on till 9pm.

Levi heaved a sigh. He was angry with himself for failing to get that emerald pair of eyes out of his head. He was extremely exhausted as well. Finishing his fourth coffee of the morning, he headed towards the meeting room.

When he was out of the meeting room, he was in an even more irritable mood that few people said they saw a black aura around him. He didn't want to meet anyone else for the rest of the day. He rushed to his cabin to reschedule everything . But what happened next hit him like a truck.

As he was walking towards his cabin, he saw three silhouettes waiting for him in his cabin. He was able to tell they were the candidates he had to evaluate from their young figures. They were dead meat. He was about to blow off their heads for entering his cabin without his permission. And whoever had showed them his cabin was also getting the short end of the stick today. He strated marching faster towards his cabin and once he was near the door he hit the door handle so hard that the door flew open, startling everyone around. 

Every person who had their desk around his cabin cowered in fear. Few froze in their seats. Without loud steps, he walked in and started to yell, " WHO THE HELL -", he froze mid sentence, his eyes wide in bewilderment.

A pair of emerald green eyes. He finally saw the face that held those emerald green eyes. The young man was watching Levi with his mouth wide open. The pair of eyes belonged to a brunette, with a neat jawline and justifying nose. His sun kissed skin sat well on his slender figure. _"His waist would fit perfectly in my arm-"_ , Levi caught himself thinking something which was unlike him. He was a man who never lost to his cardinal needs, so he had no idea why he was thinking about Eren's perfect waist and how it would fit perfectly in his arms. 

It felt like an aeon had passed before Levi regained his composure. Levi couldn't understand why the young man hadn't reacted on seeing him again. A part of him was relieved but a part of him felt uneasy. Young man had no other reaction than startled surprise. Only then it slowly dawned on him that he might have not been seen by the young man. That's why the man with emerald green eyes didn't react much on seeing his predator. He had finally fully recovered from his shock. 

Adjusting his suit, Levi continued," You three are the PA candidates, I suppose",he said

"Yeah",said Armin timidly.

"Good. Take your seats. I'll say this only once. Make a note of it and follow it religiously",said Levi giving them instructions for the day in lighting speed.

All the three of them completed noting down the instructions along with Levi. He was impressed. Throughout the day he monitored the trio closely. Each one excelled in different things. The blond, for instance, was so good at strategy that he constantly reminded him or Erwin, the head of strategy department.

Mikasa, on the other hand, was always curious and bold. If she had been crazy, she would be a clone of Hange, the head research department. 

Eren Yeager, Levi noticed his name, was good at programmings and analysis. Throughout the day, Levi stole glances at the brunette. At times, consciously and at times, unconsciously. 

Eren, on the other hand thought he was performing badly because the CEO kept staring daggers at him every time he looked up. He kept squirming under Levi's intense gaze. Little did he know that Levi was sinking in each and every detail of his figure in the deepest part of his memory. But even Levi didn't know why he was doing it. 

The day ended. He was so sure that he was going to be kicked out when Levi called them in to announce who was being retained. 

"My task was to select one of you to be my Personal Assistant and let go of the other two. And I've monitored you all for the whole day for the same purpose. So, among you, Eren would be the one to continue as my PA",said Levi. 

Eren was happy for a moment but then turned sad as he was going to miss his friends in his work place. The three young people looked at each other with sad eyes. All the three of them got up to thank him and leave when Levi said," I'm not done, yet"

All of them sat down with a surprised look. "Armin and Mikasa, you both are excellent candidates but you will not shine under me. I haven't seen talented people like you in a long time. So, Armin I've recommended you to Erwin, head of strategical department of legion. Mikasa, I've recommended you to Hange, head of R&D. You guys take your time to decide whether you want to continue -"

"Yes!!",said Armin and Mikasa in unison. 

Levi glared at them for cutting him short but he let it slide. Which surprised him. "Well, meet them tomorrow at 9:00 am at their respective departments. You all can leave for the day"

The trio thanked him and started to leave. But something made Eren stay back. He turned to look at Levi and asked him,   
**_"Have we met before?"_**


	3. Chapter 3

"No",Levi lied with a straight face. He can't tell Eren that he was the one who sucked the blood out of him in that alley three months ago. Eren chuckled and shook his head before heading out of Levi's cabin.

He watched the emerald pair of eyes disappear from his cabin and into the corridor with a forlorn look on his face. All he could do now was wait till tomorrow to meet him again.

Levi had called the organization to let them know he found the person who was in the alley three months ago. He also told them Eren doesn't remember him. The organization asked him to keep an eye on him, in case he tried to expose Levi and the organization.

The next day, his wait was cut short as Eren was in the office before him. Eren was taking notes in his notepad. He had borrowed the files related to the company's previous meetings, fundraiser and other such events to have a grasp on what he was going to handle from now on. But he failed to realise that he was soon surrounded by the mounds of files, ie he made a mess out of Levi's cabin. So when Levi entered his cabin, he was so angry that he was seeing red.

Levi yelled at Eren for turning his cabin into a book hoarder's house. Eren grabbed as many files as he could and tried to flee, but tripped over a chair on his way. His face would have kissed the floor, if it had not been for Levi catching him mid air. Levi caught the younger man by the waist. He noticed Eren's face turning red within seconds.

The younger man steadied himself and apologized repeatedly before clearing the files, but refused to look at Levi in the eye. Levi could tell he was very embarrassed. Levi sighed and returned to his chair. Things were so tensed between them for the rest of the day. When Eren was about to leave for the day, Levi said,"Eren, let's grab some dinner. Do you have some time?"

Eren obviously could not turn down that offer from his boss. He agreed. They both got into Levi's car. "Where do you want to go?",asked Levi, shifting gear.

Eren flinched when Levi started to speak. He was so flustered that he forget how to even form basic sentences. "Eh-um-ah-eh",he stammered.

Levi could see he was panicking and offered some suggestion,"How about that pizza place around the corner?"

"You eat pizzas???",Eren blurted out before realising what he had done. Levi raised an eyebrow at that question. Eren shut his mouth immediately and just nodded to the question. He kept looking at his lap throughout the ride.

Levi pulled over,and got out of the car, Eren following the suit. He found a quite place near the window and sat down. Eren sat opposite to him, still looking at his lap. Levi ordered pepperoni pizza for both of them, as Eren even refused to look at the menu.

As the waiter moved away from the table, Levi said ,"Eren, look at me". His voice was commanding, yet gentle. Eren knew he couldn't ignore his command. He slowly started to look at Levi, his brows knit in fear and panic.

"Please have some water",he said. Eren obeyed. Levi could see some tension ease of the younger man. "Have you calmed down enough to have a decent conversation?",asked Levi. Eren nodded in response.

"I'm sorry for screaming at you in the morning. But if we are going to work together from now on, I think there are few things that you have to know",Levi said as their order arrived.

Thanking the waiter, Levi continued. " I hate when things are messy. I don't like dirty places, I dont like it when things are in disorder. I don't like it when people wear dirty clothes. Dirty dishes, dirty cutlery everything dirty is out of question".Eren nodded. "Why are you nodding?",he asked.

"Uh, um, I'll not repeat what I did in the morning anymore",he managed to say.

Levi visibly sighed. "I'm not reprimanding you, Eren. We need to have basic understanding about each other to work together. If it had been any other person in the company, I wouldn't be doing this. But you're my personal assistant and if we start off on the wrong foot, things will turn bitter. You have great potential and I don't want to waste it with misunderstandings"

Eren looked at him, guilt visible in his eyes. He had troubled Levi so much that he had to spend some time with him to make him understand. But he couldn't say anything more than nod his head.

Knowing it will be impossible to get things out of Eren, Levi continued," I want you to keep things organized for me. Files, binders, pen stands, everything should be organized. Before conferences, I want you to check how clean the rooms are. If we are checking into some hotel, inspect it before I could use the rooms. These are some basic things."

Eren nodded again in response. "Please eat it while it's still hot",said Levi picking up a piece himself. Eren awkwardly picked up a piece and took a small bite. "In regards to your performance, I have no negative comments. You're accurate and know what you are doing.",said Levi trying to get something other than a nod from him as a response. He succeeded when Eren replied,"Thank you".

" We just need to work on our differences and how to go about them. I want to understand you as much as I want you to understand my behavior. And to answer your previous question, yes, I do eat pizzas",he said taking a big bite.

Eren's eyes went wide before laughing heartily. Levi smiled. After Eren settled down, he said"Thank you, for taking time to explain these things to me. I'm really blessed to have you as my superior".

"We are a team, Eren. I need your support the most. If you find anything bothering you, please let me know. Communication is the only way to solve all this. So, I'm in your care from now",he said.

"Likewise",said Eren his eyes filled with pure admiration.

Both of them finished their pizzas with little chatter and headed out. "Thank you for the meal, sir. Have a good night",said Eren.

"It's Levi and get in the car. I'll drop you off"

"No! That's not needed. My place is close by. I can walk -",he stopped when he saw Levi staring at him.  
" Get in",Levi repeated. He was already pissing off the man by making him repeat himself. So Eren quietly got into the car and gave the man directions to his home. He bid good night to Levi and headed in. He could see shadows of Armin and Mikasa from the window.

"These brats are living together, huh?",he thought as he reached for his car keys when he heard a loud knock on his window, startling him.

Erwin was out the window having a sly smile on his face. Hange was right behind Erwin.

"Holy shit, Erwin! What the hell are you doing?",he yelled.

"Just following our dear friend and his sub ordinate", said Erwin getting in the car. Hange got into the backseat and Erwin was riding shot gun.

" You nuts were following me? Why the hell would you?",he asked Erwin.

"Because we wanted to see for ourselves who is the lucky brat who didn't get kicked out after making a mess of your cabin!",chimed in Hange.

"What? I don't fire associates for such issues! I don't even have that kind of authority!",said Levi furiously.

Erwin and Hange couldn't stop laughing. "My sugar plum, why do you think we have Eren with us now?",asked Hange.

"Because you literally threw the previous assistant out of the building as the files in your desk were slightly disturbed. And the one before that was kicked out coz he had ketchup stain on his shirt!",laughed Hange.

"Not to mention that you were the one who kicked both of them out!",added Erwin.

Levi looked at them with an open mouth.

"Are you gonna drive or should I?",asked Erwin

Levi swore under his breath and started the engine. "To Jaxx!"yelled Hange. Jaxx was a bar they frequented.

Levi drove them towards the bar. Once they got themselves a drink they sat down to talk.

"So what's your deal with him?",asked Hange.

"Nothing. He just has some potential that I don't want to waste and it's such a pain in the ass to look for a new personal associate every month",answered Levi mechanically.

"Since when do you go on dates with your PA?",asked Erwin.

"What? A date? When did I go on one?"

"What were you guys doing in the pizzeria?",asked Hange

"Eat dinner"

"Why did you take him out to eat?",aske Hange

"Coz we had a little disagreement in the morning"

"Who paid?",asked Erwin

"I did"

"After that?",asked Hange

"I just dropped him off because it was late, guys!"

"So it's a date! You take them out, pay for the food, drop them off and bid good night!",said Hange with a maniacal laughter.

Levi shook his head and Erwin chuckled. "I mean, come on, Levi. We know you better than anybody out there. You taking someone out to eat because they made a mess in your cabin and you scolded them? Really? I can't see that happening in thousand years. So what's actually going on?",asked Erwin.

"I just can't get him out of my head! I can't get how well he fit in my arms out of my head! That emerald eyes, that innocent look, I just cant stop thinking about it. And when I yelled at him, he was at the verge of tears. I just couldn't take it. So, that is why I took him out for dinner! Nothing else",said Levi.

There was silence after Levi finished talking.  
"Do you realise what you just said?",asked Erwin after a long pause.

Levi's eyes went wide. He looked at both of his friends. Hange verbalised what he was afraid to acknowledge.

**_"Do you like him?"_ **


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Levi was in his cabin, preparing for his meeting. But his mind kept going back to Hange's question,"Do you like him?"

It made him angry and he kept grunting because he wasn't able to answer that question honestly. To himself or to others. Seeing Eren in his office didn't help him much either. He kept shouting at him for even the slightest inconvenience he caused. 

Eren was confused. Last night his boss was so charming and friendly, and today morning , well, he was a typical boss. Which one was the real Levi? Which side should he trust? Levi screamed at him for standing in the cafeteria queue to get juice. Eren just kept staring at him with his mouth slightly open.

_"He's also a human. He must be having a bad day"_ ,Eren consoled himself and kept carrying out his duties.

Seeing this, other department bullies targeted Eren. Afterall, he can't run to Levi and ask for help and since he is an assistant of Levi, no one will be willing to help him in order to avoid trouble. 

When Eren finished his lunch and was about to leave, Reiner, Public relation's trouble maker, tripped him, waiting for Eren to make a fool of himself. What he didn't expect was Mikasa to catch him. Armin was right behind her, glaring at Reiner. 

The trio walked away from Reiner and Bertold,his colleague, without exchanging any words. "Damn, I thought bullying stopped at school. What are they, 5?",asked Eren. Mikasa didn't say a word. Armin just chuckled.

The day went by with more yellin from Levi and more bullying from Reiner and Bertold. At the end of the day, Eren was exhausted and frustrated. As soon as he left office, he hit the bar near his house. He got so drunk that he had to call Armin to take him home. 

He kept whining and bitching about what happened in office to Armin till he passed out. Armin sighed and dragged him home. 

_________________________

The bullying was non stop now that Eren and Levi had a total fall out. Levi treated Eren as if he was his archenemy. Eren just sighed and tolerated the degradation and insults. Eren wasn't able even able to use the bathroom stalls peacefully. He was relentlessly teased and bullied. Whenever Mikasa was around, she stood up for him. When he was on his own, he just let it all slide. 

But Eren lost his patience when they tried to bully Armin. "Can you both stop being such babies and do your work like a man?",Eren raised his voice. At the same time, Levi entered the cafeteria.

"Can't you even eat your lunch without being an inconvenience to others, Yeager ?",screamed Levi not even stopping for a moment to analyse who was at fault. After that, he walked out of there, losing his appetite, for he had a gut wrenching feeling that he went too far. 

Reiner, on the other hand, was humiliated by Eren's question. He wanted to punch Eren right there but Bertold held him back. He wanted to get back at Eren. "I'm gonna get back at the son of a bitch! Just wait and watch!", He told to Bertold.

That evening, Reiner was messing with the coffee maker, knowing Eren would come to fetch coffee for himself. He messed with the k cup, so when he tries to make coffee, it would just burst and get coffee all over himself and the break room. But little did he know that the new coffee maker had some manufacturing defect and was taken off the socket to prevent any mishap. He plugged the machine in, and just waited for Eren to make some coffee, shooing away anyone who entered the break room on that wing. 

An exhausted Eren entered the break room and turned on the coffee maker. He was too exhausted to notice the maching was making a weird noise.  
To his surprise, Levi entered the break room. But before he could excuse himself, the coffee maker burst into flames, making sharp parts of the body fly all over the room. Eren tripped and fell face first, the explosion startling him. Being too exhausted didn't help him much as he slowly slipped into unconscious.

__________________________

Earlier that day.

Levi knew he was being unfair to Eren and his inability to answer the question is affecting how he is treating Eren. 

So he tried to pull Eren aside at lunch and apologize but as soon as he laid eyes on those beautiful pair of emerald eyes, he was speechless. It made him more angry, as it proved what he denied with all his being, was right. So he just ended up yelling at him again. 

But only after he got out of the cafeteria, he realised what was actually going on in there. Reiner, the stupid bully of PR was with him. Which means Eren was his target."Damn it, how did I not notice this before?",he cursed under his breath.

He wanted to make up with Eren as soon as possible to prevent him from being bullied anymore. He knew Eren takes coffee breaks in the evening, so he decided to catch him in the break room and have a little chat. 

In the evening, he saw Eren leave his desk and walk towards the break room. He has immediately got up and followed him. The young man looked too exhausted and too pale. He sighed for he knew he was one of the reasons Eren looked lifeless. He noticed Eren had already entered the break room. As he neared the door, he saw Reiner standing at a corner, glancing at the break room. _"Shit, what is he up to now?"_ , he thought as he entered the room.

But what happened next made his heart stop. The coffee maker burst into flames, shattering the coffee pot and the machine. Eren tripped and fell down before he could even react. To make things worse, Eren didn't move a bit. Levi literally lept across the room and took Eren in his hands. The brunette was unconscious with blood dripping from where the shattered glass had hit his face. 

"Eren!",he tried to wake him up. But he didn't stir. Levi was panicking. He saw few of the staff trying to put out the fire. He immediately moved Eren out of the break room.

Levi carried him to the infirmary. Hange, being a doctor as well, was in charge of the infirmary. As soon as she saw Levi carrying Eren, she snatched Eren away and asked Levi to get out.

"WHAT THE HELL? WHY?", screamed Levi.

Hange said, in not more than a whisper, " Coz you're a vampire and he is a bleeding human".

"But so are you!", Levi fought back. 

"Yeah, but I don't have feelings for him and don't look like I'm about to jump him any minute",said Hange with a giggle.

Levi's eyes turned seriously cold and said, " Let me stay, Hange. Next time it will be an order"

Hange shuddered as Levi's pheromone was threatening. "Fine, but don't jump him!"

But Levi's mind was filled with something else. He knew Reiner was behind this. His mind was running a mile a minute. He wanted Reiner to suffer tenfold for what he did to Eren. "Why do we still have scumbags like him in the office?",he thought as he slammed his fist at the table.

Hange skillfully removed the glass pieces and applied medicine to the wound. " He is out like a light. Let him take some rest. Let's get back to work",said Hange.

"No, I'll stay here. Ask Erwin to meet us here",said Levi.

"Are you kidding me? You're the chief executive for IT. If you stay with your assistant, it will start shit load of rumours",said Hange.

Levi cursed under his breath. "Fine. But when he wakes up, let me know. I have something to tell him", he said and walked out.

"And he says he doesn't like him..",Hange sang to herself in a weird tone.

______________________  
Eren didn't even stir. It was half past 8 and he was still out. Levi came to visit him after the office hours. Levi began to worry. He gently caressed his face. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I hope you could forgive me",he whispered. He had his dinner and was doing his work on a desk next to the bed. The news of Levi taking care of his assistant spread far and wide that few even faked illness to come and watch him. 

Eren slowly started to stir around 10 at night. Levi was immediately alert and rushed to his side. He was the first thing Eren saw on opening his eyes.

"Hey, are you alright?", asked Levi in a soft voice.

Startled, Eren got up so quickly that he got dizzy and lied down back on his pillow.

"Hey, calm down. It's alright. You're okay now. Does it hurt anywhere? I'll call Hange if you want", said Levi.

"No, no, I'm fine. Sorry for the trouble", he said trying to get out of the bed.

Levi supported him to stand up. Eren bowed really low to apologise. "I'm sorry for all the trouble.", he said.

"I told to its not your fault, so stop apologizing", said Levi, a bit irritated.

"I'll excuse myself now. I'll work double the time to compensate forb today. Thank you for taking care of me-", Eren tried to leave when Levi cut him short.

"Eren, sit down", he said in a stern voice.

Eren sat down on the bed with a surprised look. Levi took a deep breath and continued,"I'm sorry for yelling and screaming at you. You don't deserve that and none of it is your fault. I hope you can put it behind us." 

When Eren didn't utter a word, Levi sighed and offered him to take him home. Eren was still silent.

"Eren, is everything alright?", Levi inquired.

"…don't know..", Eren muttered.

"What?"

"I'm afraid I don't know..", he said

"Don't know what?", asked Levi 

"Don't know which is the real you", he said with tears in his eyes.

"What?", asked Levi, his voice a mere whisper.

"One day you're being extremely sweet, making me feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world and the next day you make me feel like useless bag of crap that's lying around. I'm so confused that I don't know which side of you is true. And it's making me go nuts trying to figure out whether you like me or hate me. I can't do this anymore. I wanna quit!", he said, his lips quivering and tears pouring down his face.

Levi couldn't see Eren cry. It broke his heart. He knew he didn't like the answer to the question but he realised it's not going to change. He liked Eren. No, he loved the young man. And he would do anything to stop him from crying. So he did.

He took Eren's face in his hands and kissed him till he stopped crying, till those lips stopped quivering, till the young man melted and moaned. When he parted, Eren's eyes were filled with lust, his lips searching for Levi's, to feel the warmth again. Levi held his face and said,

_**"I know it doesn't make sense, but will you listen to me?"** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope all of you readers are safe during this pandemic. Things will get better. Don't lose hope you all. Thank you for all the support! Happy reading <3

At the same time, they heard voices outside the door. Eren sprang to his feet, making Levi stagger. He then picked up his belongings and fled before Levi could stop him.

If Eren had seen the look on Levi's face, he wouldn't have left the man standing alone in the infirmary. His eyes mirrored the despair in his soul, after the love of his life left him alone after he had just kissed him. He was hurt. Truly hurt. It was at that moment he realised that his feelings may not be reciprocated. Ever. His chest tightened at this thought. 

Before he could regain his composure, Hange burst into the room, Erwin following her and latching the door behind him. 

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU PLANNING ON DOING, LEVI? ARE YOU INSANE?",screamed Hange.

"Hange, calm down",said Erwin. He could tell Levi was devastated, though his face was expressionless .

"Why are you screaming now, crackhead?",asked Levi

"Weren't you gonna tell him who you really are? Are you insane?",said Hange

"What? Why would I? And what made you think so?",retaliated Levi.

"Coz you were about to. If we hadn't stopped you, you would have definitely confided in him!",said Hange.

"That's baseless accusation, glasses. Stop spouting non sense",said Levi with irritation.

"I think Hange is right. I'm afraid if we hadn't stopped you, you would have told him who you are",chimed in Erwin. 

"What? You too? Why do you both think that way?",asked Levi, not trying to hide his anger.

"Because you look devastated. He left-",Erwin was interrupted by Levi," I'm not devastated and there's no need to talk about this anymore. It's over."

Erwin and Hange exchanged glances when Levi picked up his laptop and coat from the desk. "Let's go",he said.

Erwin and Hange followed him without saying much.

________________________  
Eren ran away from the office building as fast as his legs could carry him. His heart was beating so fast that everything blurred around him. He almost ran into a lamppost, but thanks to Mikasa who stopped him right on time.

"Eren! What's wrong? What happened?",she inquired incessantly, looking at all the wounds on his face.

"Nothing",he mumbled touching his lips.

"Nothing? You look disheveled. And why there are so many wounds on your face?",asked Armin joining them. Mikasa and Armin had been looking for Eren since he didn't come home for a long time and were walking towards the office to look for him.

"Nothing, it's -its coffee maker.. blender..burst..I'm fine…",he blabbered.

Armin and Mikasa looked at each other. They knew something had happened and either Eren hadn't realised the gravity of the situation or he wasn't willing to talk about it now. 

They safely escorted him back to their home and fixed him a quick dinner. After sometime, they all went to bed.

Eren couldn't sleep. He kept staring at the ceiling, unable to come to terms with what happened in the infirmary. Levi had kissed him. The one and only Levi had kissed him. The reciever of his admiration had kissed him, passionately. And he wanted more.

But the sudden realisation of the fact that, he fled the room without giving any explanation, hit him like a truck. "OH MY GOD! He must think I hate him! Oh no no no no no! What am I gonna do now? Oh no!",he buried his face in his hands and screamed into the pillow. 

The kiss was unexpected, but he didn't hate it. Surprisingly, he didn't hate it. And he wanted Levi to know this. He wanted the older man to know that he didn't hate it,and he doesn't hate him. 

He wanted to see Levi at that instant. But he didn't know where he lived. But he knew how to get there. 

He knocked on Mikasa's room. A sleepy Mikasa answered the door.

"What's it, Eren? Need something?"

"Yes, Mika. I need a favor"

________________________

Levi went home and sank into his couch. He had always been the one to reject. He never knew being rejected hurt so much.

He stood up and poured himself a glass of whiskey and settled on his couch overlooking the fireplace. His eyes slightly moist. He took a deep breath and took a sip of the whiskey.

He kept staring at the fire, thinking about all the time he rudely turned down people who showed interest in him. If he had a second chance, he would be more polite and thoughtful. 

A sad smile crossed his face. _"So this is my punishment for turning down all those people ruthlessly, huh? He didn't say a word yet crushed my heart"_ ,he thought to himself.

He sat without stirring for a long time. When he finally decided to go to bed, he heard his door bell ring repeatedly. "Who the hell?",he crused.

He opened the door to an uneasy brunette, shifting from one leg to another. "Eren?",he said, his voice expressing his surprise.

"Can-can we talk?",Eren stuttered.

"Sure. Come in",said Levi letting him in and showing him the couch to sit.

"You have a nice place",said Eren looking around.

Levi chuckled at Eren's childish excitement over new places. 

"Thanks. To what do I owe this pleasure?",Levi asked

"Oh,um, eh"

"Yeah?"

"Abo-about wh-what happened in the infirmary", muttered Eren.

"Oh",paused Levi, trying to gauge Eren's reaction. He sighed and decided to apologize.

Levi:"I'm sorry about it"  
Eren:"I don't hate it"  
They said in unison.

Levi stared at Eren with wide eyes. "What? Didn't hate it?"

"Yeah, I didn't particularly hate it",he said, fidgeting.

"I mean, I'm not gay-", Levi's heart sank on hearing this, but Eren continued."But I didn't hate what you did there. I-Im sorry I left so suddenly like that. But I don't know why I left the way I did", he said and looked at Levi, who kept staring at him. Eren thought Levi was angry, he panicked and stood up all flustered. 

He started to speak faster. "I mean, it was so amazing that I thought I might do something bad to you, so I thought I must leave the room as soon as possi-" 

Levi cut him mid sentence and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Looking at the young man getting embarrassed thinking about the kissed they shared was too much for him. And he doing something bad to Levi? It just made him laugh but also made Eren more attractive. 

Levi didn't want to let him go but Eren was having trouble breathing.He parted, only to hold him tightly by the waist, while the young man was trying to catch his breath.

Eren felt like jelly. If Levi hadn't supported him, he would have fallen to the ground. "I've never done this before, but this just feels right",said Eren, resting his head on Levi's shoulder.

"Yeah,neither have I", replied Levi. "But you think you're capable of doing something bad to me?", Levi smirked. Eren tried to break away from his grip due to embarrassment, but Levi was too strong and he barely budged. 

When both of them calmed down, Levi placed Eren on the couch and sat next to him. Eren looked like a tomato at this point. He was so embarrassed, but at the same time, it excited him beyond imagination. Levi just kept watching Eren's range of expression with such passion and affection in his eyes.

But Eren's expression turned serious after few minutes. He said,"Levi, I mean, we work together.."

"Yeah,so?",asked Levi

_**"Do you think this is the right thing to do?"**_ ,asked Eren


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Your kudos and comments gives me the energy to keep going! Be generous with it , y'all! Happy reading! <3

"Yes. Why do you think it's not the right thing?",asked Levi.

"Because-because I'm your PA and this will start rumours which will be bad for both of us",said Eren fidgeting.

Levi stood up and started walking towards the table."You're right. It will. But I'm ready to face it. Are you?", He asked turning and looking at Eren, while pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

Eren was fazed by the questions. _"Am I? Am I afraid to tell the world Levi is my boyfriend?"_ ,his internal monologue continued.

Levi could see the burnette was tormenting himself with his question. He slowly approached Eren and placed a hand on his head. "It's okay. You don't have to answer right away. We could keep it under the wraps for now and come out whenever you are comfortable",he said. 

Levi could see the young man was relieved on hearing it. He understood Eren was still a very young man and he will need a lot of time to get used to it. Not that Levi was gay to begin with, but he wasn't ashamed of his sexual orientation. He just hoped Eren wasn't either.

"By the way,I have another question for you",said Levi.

Eren looked at him expectantly. "How did you get my address?",Levi asked.

___________________________

The next day, Hange got an earful for giving away Levi's address to Mikasa for "just for fun" and "to see how it goes".

Erwin couldn't contain his laughter, and was trying hard not to laugh, looking at all this ruckus. Levi noticed it and said,"You were a part of this too, Erwin?"

"No, no. I had nothing to do with it", he said throwing his hands up in the air in surrender.

"Tch",Levi said.

"Well, jokes apart, what are you going to do, Levi? About Reiner and your relationship?",asked Erwin.

"First of all, don't mention both of them in the same sentence. Reiner doesn't deserve such credit. And I'm about to get him fired. About Eren… "he paused.

"Well, we have agreed to keep a low profile for now. Till he is able to come to terms with it",he said

"Come to terms with what? Your relationship?",asked Erwin with a hint of surprise.

"Yeah,you know he is a brat. He is afraid of the society and what it may say or think. I've asked him to take as much time as he needs to be okay it", Levi said.

Erwin knitted his brows in confusion. But neither Hange or Levi saw it turn into anger.

__________________________

Reiner and Bertold had been spending their time roaming around the building. When they were passing the R&D, they saw Levi, Hange, and Erwin in a heated argument.

"Some juicy shit,mate!", Reiner told Bertold and pulled him towards the room to eavesdrop. The window was slightly open letting the two hear what was going on.

But Reiner and Bertold were stunned into silence when they heard Levi say that he was going to get Reiner fired. _"He is going to get me fired? What the actual hell?"_ Reiner thought to himself.

But he heard Erwin say something about relationship. His mind worked so fast that he amazed himself and pulled out his phoned and started recording video of their conversation, making sure at least Levi was in the frame all the time.

But what Levi next said was solid evidence which could be used against him at anytime he wanted. Reiner laughed at the turn of events. 

"I'm getting fired? Haha, your ass is going to get roasted before that!",he whispered to himself.

Bertold just watched everything with a confused and pained look. 

"Bertold, my dear friend. I need you to do me a favor! I'll be in your debt forever !",he told him as he revealed his plans to Bertold.

_________________________

Erwin and Armin were going about their day when Erwin casually asked about Armin's friends and their schedule.

Armin wasn't a naive kid like Eren, nor headstrong like Mikasa, but he was good at putting two and two together.

"I'll ask Eren to meet you at the time you specify, Erwin",he said without looking up from his computer.

Erwin chuckled. Levi had indeed made the right decision to send Armin to him. "4 pm, cafeteria", Erwin said curtly.

"Roger that",said Armin. 

Armin informed Eren to meet Erwin in the cafeteria, but Eren was too distracted and very anxious. It was unlike him. Mikasa was concerned about him too, but couldn't milk any information from him no matter how much she tried. When Armin's message registered in his conscious mind, he was more restless than before. Armin was beginning to worry about Eren. He had two possible reason for him to be this anxious and upset. One, Levi had turned him down really hard yesterday night. Or two, someone else found out about their relationship,that for some reason ,Eren wanted under wraps.

__________________  
Earlier that day.

Eren went to get his second cup of coffee for the morning as he wasnt able to concentrate on his work at all. 

On his way to the break room, he was Bertold and few of his other colleagues walk towards him and were really engaged in their conversation.

"I mean, how disgusting it is? For two men to be together? I'm just disgusted by the thought of it. Ugh!",said Bertold.

"Oh my god, so am I. What disgusting line of thought. It's always Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve. These young people and their disregard for culture and religion is so disheartening!",cried another man in the group. 

"These disgusting homos! Not even able to go to the pub and enjoy a nice drink coz you never know which pervert might jump you!",said another man.

"I know, right!",chimed in Bertold.

Eren trembled hearing all these comments. He had second thoughts about his relationship with Levi now. He was overthinking about it and it stressed him out to great extent.

This is what Reiner wanted. Levi was an impossible target. He wouldn't risk going after him. But Eren? Eren was such an easy target according to him. All he had to do was make him lose his mental stability before he delivered the final blow. So he made Bertold take few people he knew where against homosexuality and talk about it in front of Eren. Bertold thought of ways to make them follow him for a very long time as he didn't know when he might be able to catch Eren off guard. But luck favoured Bertold as he encountered Eren within the first few minutes of the plan. He successfully executed it and reported it to Reiner.

It was 4 pm and Eren left to meet Erwin. He was waiting for him in the cafeteria for Eren. When he greeted him, Erwin said, "Why don't we go for a walk outside, Eren?"

Eren hesitantly agreed. Something felt off. _"Did Erwin find out about our relationship? Does he also think homosexuality is disgusting?_ ,so many thoughts were running in his head. 

When they returned, Eren looked horrible. He looked like he was about to collapse. Levi kept trying to get his attention, but he was too afraid to even look at him. 

Eren was sent out on an errand when Reiner decided to target him. "Eren! How have you been? Looks like those wounds are healing well! Can't believe it was only yesterday that the coffee maker burst, yet you're back to work. How diligent!",he said.

"What do you want, Reiner?", asked Eren, irritated.

"Is it diligence or something else which makes you come to office, Eren? Something like, hmm I don't, maybe Levi's dick? ",Said Reiner laughing.

Eren froze. _"Does everyone know about us? Is that why…_ ,Eren panicked. 

"What are you saying? Don't go spouting non sense",Eren said shakily. 

"Oh, my dear homo, I have proof. And it's not nonsense",he said whipping out his and playing the video where Levi spoke about their relationship with Hange and Erwin. 

Eren felt like someone punched in his gut. He puked due to anxiety and stress. Reiner stood over him dauntingly. 

"Now, now, Eren. What shall we do with this?",he said with a smirk on his face.

"What do you want?",Eren asked,breathing hard.The stench wasn't helping him much.

"Tell your boyfriend not to fire me. If not, this will reach each and everyone cellphone in the building",he threatened.

Eren was shivering. He didn't want anyone to know. Not yet. Maybe, never. He watched Reiner leave him, whistling a tune. It took Eren a long time to regain his composure and return to his duties. Now he totally didn't want to look at Levi. Not only what they had is being frowned upon, but now he has caused him a great deal of trouble too. 

He went back to his cabin, looking about to collapse. Levi tried to question him, but he refused to even acknowledge the questions. He heaved a sigh of relief when Levi seemed to have lost interest in him, but before leaving for the day, Levi managed to shut the door to the cabin before he could leave, trapping him inside and he stood in front of the door, blocking his exit.

"What the hell is up with you, Yeager?",Levi asked, his voice intimidating.

Everything went haywire in his head. He stared at Levi for few minutes before spouting," Let's not see each other anymore!",with his eyes squeezed shut. 

It threw Levi off-guard, giving Eren the opportunity to escape the room. When Levi came back to his senses, Eren was already gone. He decided to go after Eren when Armin stopped him.

"Mr. Ackerman, I have something that I have to tell you",he said. 

___________________________  
Erwin listened to Levi talk about his relationship, but it upset him and made him angry. He thought Levi deserved someone better, someone who was at least bold enough to admit he was in a relationship. Not a coward like Eren. 

He knew Eren was young, but it should give him more courage, not make him a coward. That was Erwin's line of thought. Above all that, he didn't want Levi to be hurt by such an half assed relationship. 

Hence, he decided to have a small "talk" with Eren.

"Eren, how serious are you about the your relationship with Levi?",he asked without beating around the bush.

"Wha-how do-", Eren stammered.

"How do I know about you two? Well, he is our best friend so even if he doesn't confide in us we will figure it out eventually. So, tell me Eren. How serious are you?"

"I - I really want to-",Eren couldn't continue.

"You can't even say you both are seeing each other? Are you so ashamed of your relationship? If so, don't have one in the first place",said Erwin, his face without any expression, but his voice carrying suppressed anger. 

Eren stopped in his tracks, his mouth wide open. Erwin looked back at the frozen brunette and continued. "Levi deserves better. Don't you think?",he said and continued to walk. 

Before Eren could retaliate, they were back at the cafeteria and Erwin bid him goodbye.

Eren went back to his work with tears in his eyes.  
______________________

Armin noticed Eren was behaving in a weird way. But after meeting him, so was Erwin. Now he was scared for his friend. Erwin was capable of breaking down corporate giants with his few well calculated words. Eren wouldn't have stood a chance. 

He wanted to check on his friend and messaged him that he wanted to meet him on his next break or whenever he had time. 

Eren texted him that he was about to go out on an errand and that Armin could join him. Armin excused himself to meet Eren.

But before he could catch up, he saw Reiner and Eren talking. He stood at a safe distance to see what was happening. Reiner whipped out his phone and played a video. Armin couldn't make out much from the visual from that distance, but heard most of the conversation to understand what that video was about and how exactly Reiner was using it against Eren and Levi. 

_"Levi must have decided to kick him out finally"_ ,he concluded.

He tried to reach Eren as soon as Reiner left, but for some reason, Erwin had called him. Unable to ignore his boss, he went back to his building.

He knew when Eren would usually leave. He decided to catch him then and talk. He finished his work before that and left on time to catch up with Eren, but as he neared Levi's cabin, he saw his friend flee. He picked up his speed when he saw Levi come out of the cabin trying to go after him. He knew talking to his friend is important, but right now he figured Levi might be his best bet. So he decided to tell Levi everything he knew.

He stopped him at the doorway and said,"Mr. Ackerman, I have something that I have to tell you".

"Not now",Levi tried to push him away but Armin insisted.

"You'll want to listen to this. It's about what happened to Eren today"

It seemed to have caught Levi's attention. "Well, let's be on our way. You can tell me then",said Levi reaching for his keys.

In Levi's car, Armin began to speak. "First of all, Erwin had a talk with Eren. I don't know exactly what, but Erwin looked upset after that. Which only makes me think he crushed Eren"

"Erwin did what now??!",Levi screamed, making a sharp turn at the signal.

"Well, he's not going home so no use driving to our place",said Armin noticing where Levi was trying to go. Levi cursed under his breath and decided to turn when Armin said, "but you can drop me off first. I'll tell you where to go".

"You cocky brat!", Levi swore.

"Well, Eren also spoke with Reiner today. And he threatened to expose you two if you tried to fire him",said Armin which made Levi slam his brakes making Armin almost bang his head against the dashboard.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?",screamed Levi.

Cars started honking behind them and shouting furiously for having stopped so suddenly. He took a deep breath and started driving again. 

"Yeah, Reiner apparently captured a video of you speaking about you and Eren and is currently threatening Eren with it. That's probably why Eren did what he did now. And right now, I think you're the best person to calm him down and bring him back to his senses",said Armin as they reached his apartment. As promised, Armin gave him the address where he thought Eren might be right now. 

Levi shifted his gear and drove as fast as he could.

________________________________

Levi noticed the younger man was distraught as soon as he entered the cabin in the morning. He knew Eren was overthinking about all that happened yesterday. He sighed and continued with his work.

But as day went on, he went deeper into depression and this concerned Levi. He tried to get Eren to talk to him but to no vail. 

Eren returned from his break looking worse and this didn't go unnoticed. Eren even refused to look him in the eye during work. This made Levi a little disappointed and angry. He was going to catch the younger man after work and have a talk. 

At the end of the day, Eren looked like he looked terrified. Eren knew something was definitely wrong. Before Eren left for the day, he stopped him and closed the door. 

"What the hell is up with you, Yeager?",he asked. He knew he was being intimidating, but Levi was upset and angry and he couldn't help it.

But what Eren told him shook him to the core. 

" Let's not see each other anymore!",said the younger man, at the verge of tears.

He couldn't move his body for few seconds after hearing Eren say that. He knew that was not Eren speaking, but still it shook him. But Eren used those few seconds to flee from him. Cursing under his breath he decided to go after Eren, when his blond friend stopped him.

Armin explained what might be going on with Eren. He cursed all the gods on hearing it. He just wanted to fire Reiner, but now he wanted him dead. 

Armin gave him the direction to Eren's childhood home, where Armin was sure where Eren was now. 

Levi followed his direction which led to an old shabby house at the end of a rundown path. There were no lights on in the house. 

_"Does this place even have electricity anymore?"_ , thought Levi while opening the door. It was not locked.

_"That careless brat. Not even locking the door"_ ,he thought.

On entering, he noticed the place was fully furnished yet unoccupied. It also made Levi wondered why the three rented an apartment when they had such free space to live in. On walking further, he heard faint sobs coming from room on the first floor. 

Levi sighed and followed the sound. He could see Eren's outline on the bed, crying hard into the pillow.

He stood by the door, crossing his arm, his coat hanging from one of his shoulder. 

"Done crying?",he asked,startling the younger man.

"What? How-how did you find this place?",asked Eren between his sobs.

Levi turned on the lights and walked towards Eren. Eren edged towards the other end of the bed. "I'm asking again. What's wrong,Eren?",he said towering over him

"No-nothing! I - I just don't want to see you anymore! That's all!",said Eren, his voice sore from crying.

"Eren, liste-"

" NO! I DON'T WANT TO! GET OUT OF HERE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!",Eren screamed with his eyes shut, grabbing a pillow and attempting to throw it at Levi.

Levi saw it coming. He yanked the pillow out of his hands and threw it on the ground. In another split second, he pinned down Eren on the bed, holding both of Eren's hands above his head with one hand and saddling him. He used his other hand to grab Eren's face and forced him to look at him.

"Listen to me, you shitty brat! I know what happened. I know Erwin spoke to you about our relationship. I know Reiner threatened you with our relationship. And I know you're terrified right now. So tell me what's actually wrong!",he said with so much anger that fresh tears started flowing down Eren's face.

Levi's eyes were dangerous dark. Eren knew he couldn't avoid Levi anymore, but he didn't want to face him either. 

He slowly started speaking. "I don't deserve you",he said in not more than a whisper.

"What?",said Levi, tightening his grip on his chin.

"I don't deserve you! I'm - I can't -" *sniff*"I can't even admit that you are my boyfriend"*sniff*"And I've already caused you trouble! Reiner will "*sniff*"come after you if I don't stop you from firing him",Said Eren in between his sobs.

"Did I say that? Did I tell you admit our relationship to everyone? And shouldn't you have come to me first when all this happened? After all, its our relationship these people are playing like poker chips",said Levi, still angry.

Eren didn't have an answer. He just continued to cry. What Levi asked him next broke him down completely.

_"Or is it you who doesn't want to continue this relationship?"_

Eren didn't utter a word, but kept looking at Levi with his mouth slightly open. After few minutes, Eren felt Levi loose his grip on his hands and face. The older man looked dejected on hearing no answer from him. 

Levi's heart broke, too. He thought Eren didn't want to be his boyfriend anymore. _"Such a small issue could tear us apart, huh?_ ,he thought.

Levi slowly got up and stood beside the bed. "Looks like it's the latter. Well, it was nice getting to know you. Farewell",he said and started to walk away.

*Thud*

Eren hugged him tightly by the waist from behind, kneeling on the bed. 

"NO! NO! THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT! YOU'RE TOO GOOD FOR ME! I- I JUST - IM SORRY",Eren wailed, his tears soaking Levi's shirt.

Levi turned to face Eren and hugged him in return. "I'm not good at relationships or depending on others. And I don't know how much I should care for the other person. I'm just afraid you'll end up hating me",he continued to cry.

"Neither do I",said Levi in a soft voice. 

Eren looked up at him, his cheeks flushed and his eyes red. "Neither do I, Eren. I repel people with my unpleasant social skills, my sharp tongue, and my honest opinions. Even I'm afraid of you hating me as time goes on. But looks like we both have to overcome the obstacles in our relationship together, probably the same ones",Levi said. Eren's breathing was returning to normal and he began to calm down.

"So, Are you willing to embark on this journey with me?",Levi continued.

Levi felt Eren tighten his grip around him on hearing this question. At last, he said, "Yes. As long as you want me to" and looked up at Levi.

Levi wiped the tears from his face. His features softened. He bent down, "That'll be forever",he said and kissed the younger man.

When they parted, Eren had long forgotten about all his worries. Levi kissed his forehead. 

"Now then, what is that Erwin spoke to you about",asked Levi with a devilish smirk.

Flustered, Eren tried to escape his grip, but Levi pinned him face down, trapping Eren under him.

"Nothing!",said Eren.

"Well, two can play this game",said Levi, reaching for Eren's belt.

"No! No! I'll tell you! Stop!",said an embarrassed Eren.

"Go on",said Levi, his grip unyielding.

"He said that if I'm going to half assed about this relationship, then I should have it at all"

"That piece of shit",cursed Levi.

"What else did Reiner say?"

Eren's features turned grim on hearing this. "That if you fire him, he will send the video of you speaking about our relationship to everyone in office".

"That's all? That was enough to throw you off balance",asked Levi.

Eren tried to escape his grip, failing again. 

_"Damn, he is strong"_ ,thought Eren.

"I'm sorry",he said in a small voice.

Levi sighed and pulled him up in an embrace. "It's alright. I'll make sure you never go through something as horrible as this ever again", Levi promised and kissed him on top of his head.

_"…….anyone there…….."_ ,they both heard a faint voice coming from downstairs.

_"Is it you, Eren? The lights are on so I thought it might be you"_ ,the voice grew louder.

At last, they were able to put a figure to the voice. On seeing the intruder, Eren reacted before Levi did.

_**"Jean?"**_ ,asked Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's everyone's POV on the same day! Hope you enjoyed it! Happy reading! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Hope you guys are safe! Happy Reading!

“Jean?”, asked Eren, startling Levi.

“Eren, what the hell happened to you?”,he asked walking twoards the pair and standing between Levi and Eren.

This pissed Levi so much that he growled at Jean. To add fuel to the flame, he said, “Is this man causing you any trouble? You look disheveled. Your eyes are red and puffy”, cupping Eren's cheeks and wiping away stary tears with his thumbs. 

To Levi's dismay, Eren didn't push the man away. It was evident that Eren was used to this man's touch. It took everything Levi had to stop himself from ripping the other man to shreds. Eren somehow sensed Levi's discomfort and tried to get up from the bed. But Jean ended up pulling him into an embrace. 

“Are you alright? Did he harass you? You are an easy target. That's why I always ask you to be careful. It's okay now. I'm here”,he said hugging Eren. 

“No–No Jean, it's not like that.He–he is my– bo– ”, he paused for a few seconds be continuing,“he's my boyfriend”,he said in a small voice. 

That's all Levi needed to hear before ripping Eren away from Jean's embrace. “You heard him. Back off”,he scowled.

“Boyfriend!? Is that why he is making you cry?”, Jean rebutted.

“No,he didn't make me cry,Jean. I was just not feeling good. He is the one who consoled me”,he said holding Levi's hand.

Before Jean could reply, Eren asked, “When did you comeback from France? Why didn't you tell me that you're coming back? And how did you know I was here?”

“I wanted to surprise you. But looks like I'm the one being surprised now”,he said grudgingly looking at Levi and continuing,“I came back yesterday, sugarplum. As for how I knew you were here, I spoke to Mikasa. She said you might be here”.

When Levi heard Jean call Eren ‘sugarplum’, he was seeing red. Didn't Eren just now introduce him as his boyfriend? Why such endearing terms? It was evident to Levi that Jean was clearly interested in Eren, not as just a friend.

“Oh…okay. Sorry I didn't check on you as often as you would've liked. And thanks for coming all this way to see me”,said a clueless Eren. 

But before Jean could refute him, Levi spoke up. “It's getting late. Come on, Eren. I'll drop you home”,he said pulling Eren up from the bed.

“But- we just met. I wanna talk–”,he was interrupted by Levi. “You have to work tomorrow, Yeager. Keep that in mind”,he said in a stern voice. Levi was ready to do anything to stop Eren and Jean from talking to each other again. 

“Yeager? Did you just address him as Yeager? What are you, his boss?”,asked Jean jokingly.

“Actually, yes. That's how we met. I'm his PA”,answered an oblivious Eren.

“What? Are you nuts, Eren? You're dating your boss? Do you know how bad it will be for your career onc–”,Jean was interrupted by Levi when he put up his hand to make his stop.

“That's for us to discuss. Please stay away from my relationship. Your comments are not welcomed”, he said.

“Levi! He is my best friend. He is just worried about us. It's okay, he means no har–”,Eren stopped mid sentence when he saw Levi staring at him with cold eyes.

“Let's go”,said Levi and Eren didn't refute. He got up and without second thoughts hugged Jean. “Ill text you once I reach home. All the four of us will meet soon”,said Eren.

Jean didn't miss a chance to get on Levi's nerves. He hugged the brunette tighter in return, lowered his head and brought his lips so close to Eren's ears to whisper,“I missed you so much. I have so much to share with you. Text me once you reach home. See you soon” 

Eren could feel his earns turn red due to the proximity. He stumbled back only to be caught by Levi's strong hands. “Yeah, see you soon”,he said, somewhat out of breath.

Levi tightened the grip on Eren's hand and Eren winced. Seeing his boyfriend turn red because of another man was too much for him. He almost pushed Eren out of the room. He asked Eren to get into his car and wait for him.

“What about you?”,asked Eren.

“Ill just pick up my coat and few other things I dropped here. You go first”, Levi commanded.

“Okay. Jean, do you wanna ride–”,Levi stopped him before he could finish his sentence.

“I don't think that would be necessary. He must have come by his own vehicle. You just keep going and get into the car”,he said. Somehow, Eren couldn't talk back. It felt strange, but he could'nt talk back. So he left. 

Once Eren was put of earshot, Levi turned to Jean who was still in the room.

“Look, I don't know who you are, but I know your intentions for Eren are not good. So, stay the fuck away from my boyfriend”,he said with a voice laced with venom and hatred.

“I can't, Mr.Im-Eren's-boyfriend. Coz I failed to make him mine once. Not gonna let go of him again. He's mine and always will be mine. I'll prove to him that you're just a temporary phase in his life and I'm his forever”,he said before walking out of the room.

_________________________

Levi got into the car few minutes later, completely pissed. He refused to look at Eren. He turned on the engine and started to drive.

“Levi, is everything alright?”,asked a worried Eren. He was ignored.

“Levi..”,he tried to touch his arm but Levi applied the brakes suddenly which jerked him forward.

“Levi, what's wrong?”,he asked with so much innocence and worry in his eyes.

“Do you let everyone you know hold you like that?”,asked Levi, his voice was stable but didn't hide the fact he was angry.

“What?”

“Do you let everyone you know hug you like that and whisper into your ear as if they are going to eat you?”,he asked.

“Levi, he is my childhood friend. We have– we have always been around each other and we hug each other out of brotherly affection. That's all”,said Eren, almost at the verge of tears.

“Oh, is that so?”,said Levi, unbuckling Eren's seat belt and pulling him over to his side.

Eren was on top of Levi, his face inches away from Levi's. Levi hugged him just the way Jean did and brought his lips close to his ears and started to whisper,“Is this also how you brothers normally communicate? Hmm?”

Eren blushed hard and tried to push Levi away but failed. He pleaded to let him go, but Levi's hold was unyielding. Eren was embarrassed by how close Jean was but didn't put much thought into that,but now that Levi pointed it out, it was starting to feel awkward.

“Im sorry”,he said in a feeble voice.

Levi sighed. “I didn't do this for you to feel sorry, but be conscious of what's happening to and around you”,he said and let Eren return to his seat.

“So how long has he liked you?”,asked Levi.

“What!? No,no,no! he doesn't like me! He even has a girlfriend!”, refuted Eren

“Are you dumb or in denial?”,asked Levi.

Levi wasn't going to wait around till Jean made a move. Eren chose Levi and Levi will honor that. He promised to himself that he will not have another fight with Eren because of misunderstanding and miscommunication.

“If you haven't noticed his feelings for you, you were either ignorant or you just didn't want to notice it and ruin your friendship”

Eren didn't reply. Levi was right. Part of him knew it wasn't normal. But Jean was the first friend he made besides from Mikasa and Armin. Jean stood up for him when he was bullied. They share all their secrets and sorrows, that thinking of parting ways with Jean hurt him. So he chose to be a silent spectator. But even now he wasn't sure whether he wanted to act on this matter. 

“I may have noticed it, but I don't think I want to act on it”,he admitted honestly.

“Hmm. But just so you know, I won't let him steal my boyfriend and I'll do whatever it takes to protect you”

Eren just nodded his head in response. There was no way in hell he would let Jean court him or have his way with him, but knowing Levi is also aware of Jean's feelings towards Eren, made him a little anxious and embarrassed.

They drove silently for a while when Levi asked,“Hey, are you hungry? It's pretty late. Shall we have dinner somewhere?” 

Eren just nodded in response. So Levi drove to a restaurant nearby Eren's apartment. 

They sat at a table and ordered their dishes. Levi could see Eren was thinking over the events that happened previously in the evening. 

“You okay?”,he asked.

Eren finally looked him in the eye. “I don't know,Levi. I–”,he paused.

“You..?”,repeated Levi, expecting him to continue. 

“Am I a bad person, Levi? Coz now that I think about it, I've always know there was something off, but I kept quiet all this time till you pointed out. I was selfish. I wanted to be his friend forever. But I have been hurting him more this way. Disregarding his feelings and leading him on. I'm such a bad friend, right?”,he asked him with tears in his eyes.

Their orders arrived and Eren immediately turned the other way to stop the waiter from seeing him cry. 

Once the waiter left, he turned to look at Levi,who was looking at him with pith. 

“I won't say what you did was right, but that doesn't make you a bad person. Everyone has a person they like so much that the choose to be as their friend forever even if it meant it will hurt themself. Even when they know they will not be loved back the same way. Also, the person at the receiving end of such love doesn't want that unconditional love to end. They are forever stuck in this vicious cycle, afraid of letting go, afraid something like this will never come again in their life”

“It's hard to break this cycle, but if you do break that cycle, you're freeing yourself and the other person from endless pain”,Levi continued.

Eren looked at him without saying anything for few minutes before lowering his gaze. Levi gently squeezed his hand on the table, which made Eren again look at Levi.

“And if you decide to do so, I'll be there to support you throughout the process”,said Levi

Eren kept looking at him, his eyes filled with tears and love. “Thank you”,was all he could say to the older man. 

Levi shook his head. “We are in this together",he said and patted his hand before picking up the fork and starting to eat. 

Eren followed the suit. But throughout the meal, they let a comfortable silent fall on them. Eren was able to soothe his aching heart a bit,knowing he had someone to lean on now. Even when he had made a mistake.

Levi paid for the meal and they left the restaurant. Levi drop Eren at his apartment and said good night. But before getting out of the car, Eren moved closer to Levi and kissed him on his cheek. 

Levi was startled at first, but gently smiled after few seconds. He caressed his face and said,"Good night, Eren. Sleep tight. See you tomorrow"

“Are you gonna let me go just like that?”,Eren pouted.

“Why? What else did you expect?”,teased Levi.

“Hmph!”,pouted Eren

“Another important lesson in life. If you want something in life, then _you_ have to get it”,said Levi lightly tapping his lips with the tip of his fingers.

Eren lunged forward and claimed his lips. Levi returned the favor by grabbing him by the waist and pulling him closer. Eren tried to pull away, running out of breath. But Levi grabbed his hair and kept kissing.

“Mmmhhh!”,cried Eren, unable to breath. Levi parted,panting. But just for two seconds. He went in again, kissing those plump lips. Eren was completely turned on. And Levi could tell that when his panting turned to moans.

Levi smirked. He immediately parted from Eren and fixed his dress. “Its time for you to go home now. Good night”,he said. 

“Wha..Levi..ah..”,panted Eren. 

“Oh, don't get it wrong. I love making out with you. But doesn't mean that I'm not angry with you for letting strangers get comfortable with you and having no self awareness”,said Levi fixing his tie.

“Levi..ple..ase”, Eren desparately pleaded.

“No. Not today”,but he couldn't help but feel bad for leaving his boyfriend in that state.

“You can stay in the car till you calm down”,he offered, but Eren's eyes were pleading him. 

He can't give in. There will be no point if he gives in now… but those eyes… 

“Gaah… Fine, but I'm not letting you off the hook. Not yet”,said Levi, pulling him onto his lap and reliving him. Eren just slumped on top of Levi, delirious.

But seeing him so helpless at his hands, churned something inside him and his fangs slowly started to show. 

“Shit”,he swore under his breath and tried to push Eren away but he held on tight to Levi. 

“Eren, get off me!”,scolded Levi.

“Wha…t ab…out you? It's a gi…ve an…d take…rig…ht?”,he said panting heavily.

“Ill take care of myself. Just get off me”,he scolded again.

“No…not unti…l I hhe…lp you to…o”,Eren insisted.

“Shit”,Levi swore and pushed Eren towards his seat and pushed the seat all the way back. He ripped open his shirt and sank his teeth in his neck.

“Aah..Aaaaaahhhhhhh…”,Eren screamed in pain. 

Levi started feeling giddy but couldn't tear himself away from Eren. He knew he should stop, but he couldn't. 

“Aaaaaggggghhhhh…waaaagggnnnnh”,Eren kept screaming in pain.

It was not about blood, but it was being able to be connected with Eren. He stopped drawing blood a long time ago. But his fangs were still in Eren, unable to retract. But it only caused pain to Eren.

When he came back to his sense a little, he slowly withdrew his fangs from his neck. Luckily, Eren was still out of his mind, still delirious to understand what was going on. 

Levi stopped the blood from the wound. “Fucking shit”,he kept swearing all the while.

He could see Eren was slowly drifting to sleep. He buckled him up and started driving towards Hange's house. He knew Hange was going to chew his head off for what he did. 

He arrived at her house 30 mins later. She took one look at Eren and screamt,

_**"Levi! What the hell have you done?** _


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy reading!

Hange knew what had happened the minuute she laid her eyes on Eren. Levi had exploited him and drew blood from him illegally. 

“Do you understand what you've done,shorty?”,she squealed and rushed to Eren's side to treat his wound.

Levi didn't move a muscle. After Hange took Eren from him, he sat down in a chair, never looking up. At first she thought Levi had just drawn blood from Eren, but on closer look, she figured what those two had been doing.

“Oh my god! You guys had sex? You bit him whi–”,she was interrupted when Levi erupted in anger.

“Of course we didn't! We were just making out, and I helped relieving him. That's all! So shut up now!”

“Then why the heck did you bite him? Are you trying to suck him dry? How could you of all people lose control of yourself?”,she asked while treating Eren's wound.

When he didn't reply, she was furious. Which was really unlike her. That's because it was Levi's first real relationship and he was about to screw it up. So she yelled at him.

“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, ACKERMAN!”

“I don't know…”,he said in nothing more than a whisper.

“What?”,she asked in irritation as his voice was inaudible.

“I SAID I DON'T KNOW! ONE MINUTE IM MAKING OUT WITH HIM AND THE NEXT MINUTE I WAS ON HIM SUCKING HIS NECK! DO YOU THINK I UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS SHIT? FUCK THIS SHIT!”,he swore.

“How long has it been since your last time?”,asked Hange, trying to calm down and think rationally as Levi was in no state to do so. 

“About–about three months?”

“Just three months? You should be good for another two months. So why suddenly?”,she asked Levi. But as she was about to bandage the wound she noticed something strange.

“The hell…”,she exclaimed.

“I know, it makes no sense to me either. But it happened and I am no–”,he stopped when Hange pulled him by his hand to where Eren was lying.

“Look”,she said pointing at the marks made by his fangs.

“The fuck…”, Levi exclaimed. The marks were almost healed. 

“Levi, what the fuck did you do?”

“…”

“Levi! What did you do!?”

“Im–I don't know either. I stopped drawing blood from him seconds after I bit him but I couldn't let him go. That– the connection–”,Levi held his head and hunched down.

“The connection?”,Hange inquired.

“I felt connected to him when I bit him. Not the need to draw blood, but to be connected. I don't understand either”,he said without looking up.

There was a long silence which was ended by Hanges squeals. “I need samples! I need samples!!!”,she exclaimed picking up scalpel and scrapped a little piece of skin from Eren's wound. 

“Four eyes! My boyfriend is not your test rat! What the fuck are you doing?”,Levi finally got up and tried to stop Hange. 

She pushed him aside and continued to scrap of some skin and put it in a test tube. 

“Hange! Stop you idio–”,said Levi but stopped mid sentence when Eren started to stir.

“Eren, you okay?”,asked Levi, holding his hand.

“Where am I?”,Eren struggled to get his words out.

“Uh…you…um you passed out so I brought you here. Hange was just taking a look at you”,he said when Hange hastily hid the tube.

“Oh, is that so? I'm so sorry for causing you trouble”,he said in a rasp voice and tried to get up.

Levi gently pushed him back.“Dont strain yourself. It's okay. Rest for some more time”

“It's getting late. Please go home,Levi. I'm fine”, Eren argued and tried to get up again.

“Shhh. I'm allowed to be worried about you. So take rest for now”, Levi replied.

Eren was feeling mushy inside when Levi treated him so nice. But only Levi knew that he was neverous as heck and he didn't want Eren to find out that he was a vampire yet. He was trying to distract Eren from figuring out what was actually going on. 

But how he was supposed to stop Eren from remembering the events of that night? He still had no idea. He worriedly kept looking at Hange to come to his rescue but she was too excited to even notice the awkwardness surrounding them.

Levi sighed and started to button up Eren's shirt as he knew Hange will be of no help until she figures out what was actually happening. 

“Feeling better?”,he inquired after he had buttoned him up.

“Yeah, thanks”,Eren answered shyly.

Eren slowly got up and straightened his clothes,while Levi was packing things so that they could leave. That's when he noticed spots of blood near his shirt collar.

“Is-Is that blood?”,he asked in a worried tone.

Levi whipped around to see what he was talking about. “Shit”,he swore under his breath. There were few bright red spots on his shirt.But what Eren asked next made Levi's heart ache.

“Levi, what happened? Are you hurt? Did I do something?”he asked, at the verge of tears.

“Oh, no no no, I'm not hurt, sweetheart. It's just — ah it's embarrassing to admit, but while making out with you, I kinda got excited and was about to leave — um”,he hesitated before saying “A hickey”,in a whisper.

He shifted from one leg to another, and uneasily scratched the back of his head before continuing,"But I didn't want to hurt you, so I bit my lip hard. Those spots are probably because of that”,he said.

Lying. An art Levi never knew he had to master. A man who hated liars. A man who took pride in his brutal honesty. A man who swore he wouldn't lie to the person he loves, now standing in front of the man who owns his heart, lying through his teeth. Did he regret lying to Eren? Every second of it. Will he stop though? Not anytime soon. 

Eren blushed and looked at the ground. He never expected the cold man to have such a soft side, which he knews was exclusively reserved for Eren. He felt happy, millions of butterflies in his stomach, and his love increasing tenfold. 

Hange watched the two in awe. She has never seen Levi so mellow before. Nor has she seen him lie. _“So this is what love is capable of, huh?”_ ,she thought to herself.

She wanted to see Levi suffer from his lies for some more time, but she felt bad looking at the man struggling. So she decided to step up and help him out.

“Ah! Eren dear! You're fine. You fainted from esctasy. I think he is too good in be–”,she was cut short when Levi punched her in her arm to make her stop. 

“Ouch! What? It is true,right? He fainted with just a make out ses– ouch!”,she yelled again when Levi punched her again.

“Well, facts apart”,she said jokingly looking at Levi and continued,“Please come for a check up after two days. I found some unusual mole, so I would like to see how the results turn out!”,she said startling Eren

“Is–is it something serious? Am I ill?”,he asked, worry written all over his face. Guilt was ripping Levi apart. He couldn't look Eren in the eye anymore. He couldn't bring himself to accept there is nothing wrong with him other than Levi being his boyfriend.

“Oh, nothing like that, sweetheart. I just wanna rule out all possibilities! Please don't worry! I'm always curious!”,she laughed.

Eren just nodded. “Okay. I'll come again in two days”,he said and looked at Levi innocently.

“Ill drop you home. Let's go”,said Levi unable to look him in the eye.

“Drive safe!”,yelled Hange.

______________________

Eren also began to sense something was amiss. Levi spoke so sweetly but refused to look at him. _‘Is he angry because I wasn't able to help him relieve… Of course not! Levi is not such a man. But what if…’_ ,he thought to himself.

“Levi?”

Levi didn't respond. He was too busy entertaining a thought. _‘Should I keep up this lie? For how long? But will the truth hurt him? Will I scare him off? Shit, I should have never messed with someone so innocent’_ ,he kept thinking.

Eren called out again. Still no response. Worried, he touched his inner thigh when they stopped at the intersection. It sent sparks flying in Levi. He first looked at the hand and then at Eren with wide eyes. 

For unknown reasons, it sent shivers down Eren's spine and he immediately removed his hand. He feared that he had offended the man. He cowered in fear and shrunk in his seat. 

That's because Levi had been releasing strong pheromones, strong enough to affect humans. The touch made him yearn Eren, which in turn made him territorial. 

“Dont do it again”,he said.

“Wh—what?”,Eren asked not hearing Levi the first time.

“Dont do it again. The touch. Don't do it again”,he growled.

He should have stopped talking. He shouldn't have dared to ask more. But he couldn't stop. He was already afraid, so what more could happen?

“Wh—Why? Did I do something wrong? I mean, I'm sorry for passing out after saying I'll help you…but I — I didn't do—”,he stopped in his tracks when he saw Levi staring daggers at him. He was visibly shivering.

“You don't understand, do you?”,he said in a dangerously low tone and made a sharp turn at the intersection, driving towards his apartment instead of Eren's apartment.

He parked the car in the parking lot, opened Eren side's car door and pulled him out. Eren stumbled on his feet but before his could regain his balance, Levi started dragging him to the elevator. 

On reaching the apartment, Levi opened the door with one hand and threw Eren inside and slammed the door behind him.

Eren was trembling at this point. He was afraid he was going to be eaten alive by Levi. Which was true in a way.

Levi lifted him off the floor,moved to his bedroom, and threw him on the bed. He jumped on top of him almost immediately and ripped open Eren's shirt. Eren couldn't move an inch in fear. There was some feral glow in Levi's eyes. 

But on contrary to his fears, Levi kissed him passionately. So passionately that he forgot that he was afraid of the man above him few seconds ago.

When they parted, Eren was panting, greedily wanting more. 

“This is way I asked you not to do it! Because I'll devour you regardless of the time and place if you touch me like that again. Do you understand?”

“So you're not angry with me?”,Asked Eren, still in doubt.

“Of course not, you brat. I can never be mad at you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to control myself around you?”,said Levi. He wasn't lying about it. His vampire instincts kicked in everytime when it came to Eren. His need to dominate and have Eren all to himself intensifies everytime Eren touches him. His need to sink his teeth in that tender neck just never completely abandons him. 

Levi lusted over his lover panting beneath him. If they were to make love now, he would break Eren. Realising how terrifyingly strong he is, he tried to get out of the bed but, Eren held him back. 

Levi cursed. “Oii, Yeager. Don't be stupid. Let me go”,he commanded but Eren didn't yield to his threat

“No”,he said feebly.

“The first time–as well… I didn't get to see you – enjoy yourself. I'm not letting you go–again”,he said, panting.

“Eren, if we continue, I'll break you. You'll not be able to walk for days. Don't be stupid. Let go”,he threatened again.

“No”, Eren persisted. “Break me! I'm your boyfriend,so break me! I would rather have you break me than see you leave without satisfying yourself”,he said. A bad move. Levi wasn't lying when he said he would break Eren. 

“Are you out of your mind?”, Levi growled, trying to make his boyfriend see some sense.

Eren stopped replying and grabbed the older man's face and kissed him, throwing caution to the wind. He hastily undid Levi's shirt and tried to undo his pants when Levi pushed him down hard and kissed him. He ripped Eren's pants off followed by his underwear, exposing a tan, well built body. 

Foreplay wasn't in cards that day. Levi flipped him over and tried his best to stretch Eren. But no amount of preparation would be enough for what's about to come. 

Impatiently, Levi undid his own clothes, exposing a chiseled body. Eren was on all fours, his back facing Levi. Levi grabbed Eren's hair and pushed him face down into the pillow with one hand and grabbed his waist with the other.

Levi tried to be slow, but once he felt the heat around his member, he couldn't help but plunge his entire length into that warm hole. 

Eren screamed as he was stretched beyond his imagination. But it didn't stop. Levi gave him few minutes to get accustomed to his size before ramming into Eren continuously.

When Levi said he might break him, he meant it. And Eren understood that now. The size alone made Eren see white. Levi showed him no mercy, he kept plunging into him without a break. 

Eren lost count of how many times he had come. But Levi still had not climaxed even once. He knew it was going to be a long night. Levi flipped him over to face him while his member was still deep in Eren, yearning him a loud moan. 

He pulled him up and had the younger man wrap his hands around him before plunging into him again. But Eren couldn't take it. This angle exploited his lower body, plunging in deeper with every thrust.

“No! No! Too deep! No! Stooo–aaaaaahhh”,cried Eren, coming on spot. 

But Levi continued. He kept at it for an hour before he finally climaxed in his lover. If the rooms hadn't been sound proof, his neighbours would have called the police due to all the screams and moans.

Eren passed out as soon as Levi pulled out. Levi lied down next to him for few minutes before getting up to clean himself and his lover. He turned on the light to check Eren. Places where he held Eren were turning purple, his hand print becoming evident. His lower half was covered with cum and bite marks. Levi felt bad for making love to him even when he knew this would happen. The younger man looked exhausted. 

He diligently cleaned him up and moved him to another bedroom with fresh sheets, where he joined the Burnett after few minutes and fell asleep.

_____________________

The next morning, Levi woke up early due to anxiety. He checked on his younger lover who was fast asleep beside him. The bruises became more evident in the morning. He gently caressed his face, his eyes filled with guilt and regret. He had put the boy through so much pain. He thought he shouldn't have made a move, even when Eren persisted. 

While he was absorbed in his own thoughts, Eren started to stir. He slightly winced for a moment before starting to cry in pain. 

“Eren! Eren, Are you alright? Answer me, Eren”, pleaded Levi but Eren just continued to cry.

Levi panicked. He got up from the bed and called Hange. She answered the phone in a sleepy voice. 

“What's up, shorty?”

“I need you to come over to my apartment right now. With your emergency medical kit”, he said.

“Why? What happened to you?” , she asked.

“Not me. It's Eren”

 _ **"What did you do now?"**_ ,she asked angrily.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy reading!

Eren was crying when Hange reached Levi's apartment. Levi was sitting next to him, trying to sooth him, but to no vail. Hange gave his a nasty glare. 

“What did you do?”,she asked, threateningly. Hange was very scary when she got angry. Even though she wasn't an royal vampire, she still had an intimidating presence when angry, gaining her a spot among the elite vampires.

“Cant you see?”,asked Levi, his voice hinting that he wasn't ready to have that conversation now. 

Eren was under the sheets, his face flushed from crying for an hour now. He had bruises all over his torso. She didn't even want to imagine what his lower half was going to look like. 

“You fucking brute! What is wrong with you? Is this how you treat your boyfriend?”,she swore at him.

She moved towards Eren and slightly touched him. But he winced,and fresh tears started to fall. Her eyes grew dangerously dark.

“Get out”,she said. 

“Oii, don't cross your limit. He is my boy—”,he stopped mid sentence, startled, when Hange shouted,“GET THE FUCK OUT NOW, ACKERMAN!”

He had never seen her this angry. And he knew better than to mess with am angry Hange.

He slowly got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Eren, sweetheart, are you okay?”,she asked in a soft voice.

Eren just hid his face in the pillow and continued to cry. 

“I need to examine you before I give you some medicine. Will you be able to answer my questions?”,she asked him, slapping on a pair of gloves, slowly removing the blanket covering him.

He didn't react, just let Hange examine him. She took a look at the bruises on his torso and back. Most of them would heal in a week or two. But Eren had calmed down for a while now. He wasn't crying as hard as he was a while ago.

She then tried to removed the blanket covering his legs when a startled Eren turned to look at Hange, holding on to the blanket, stopping her from doing so.

“It maybe uncomfortable for you, but I'm afraid I have to take a look at you to see whether you need more medical attention”,she said, tugging the blanket away from him.

He didn't want to let Hange know how intimate he and his boyfriend had been, but he didn't have a choice. He hesitantly loosened the grip on the blanket, letting Hange pull it away.

She made him lie face down and continued her examination. She could see lot more bruises and bite marks on his legs, giving her a glimpse of their heated, intimate moment. As expected, there was a tear and inflammation where Levi had entered him. 

She could sense Eren flinch and his muscles tighten whenever she neared his ass and groin. 

“Does it hurt too much?”,she asked, worried.

He slightly shook his head. But as soon as he winces, he starts to cry.

“Its okay, I'm your doctor. You don't have to lie to me about your pain. And only if you're honest, I can properly treat you”,she said

Amidst all the crying, he shook his head.

“It doesn't hurt?”,she asked, applying ointment on his bruises.

“It does”,he said in a hoarse voice.

“Hmm”

“But I'm not crying for that”,he continued.

“Hmm? Then?”

“Im — I'm just embarrassed. I am as much as a man as Levi. I — Im wincing in pain after ju–just ”,he started sobbing again.

“Hey. Are you kidding me? You're proving time and again that you're immature and young. He is so strong that he could kick someone's ass without breaking a sweat. You on the other hand are a young, cute kid who can't he run continuously for 30 mins. There's a huge power difference in this relationship. Don't compare yourself with that beast, okay? He's too powerful”,she said, fondly patting his head. How is she supposed to make him understand that no matter how strong he becomes, he can't match Levi as he is, well, a vampire.

But Eren wasn't convinced. She knew it will take time, and few revelations,for him to accept the fact he can never be as strong as Levi. But there was someone who can console him right now. And he was sitting outside this room.

“Ill give you a shot of painkiller. And few pills to take with food to reduce inflammation and swelling. Keep applying the ointment till the bruises completely heals”,she said giving Eren a shot.

He seemed to have calmed down after it. She covered him up with the blanket again and left the room. 

She saw a worried Levi sitting on the sofa, fidgeting. She sighed. Seeing Eren cry made her angry. She thought Levi broke the young man mentally, forever. But only after talking to Eren she realised she had been wrong. 

Levi was not as inexperienced as Eren when it came to sex. Though he looks cold and distant, he never had difficulty in finding someone to spend his night with. Most of them were short term relationships, and the rest, one night stands. 

But he was never really the type to get attached to his partners. He never paid any of them attention or spend as much time as they wanted him to with them.

He has never been bothered about the other person in the relationship. He was emotionally distant,and physically unavailable. Most of his partners got fed up real soon.

But with Eren, damn, he was whipped  
For Eren, he was ready to move mountains. He was tuned to Eren's needs. Hange had never seen him be worried like this for another person. Neither she nor Erwin had met any of his parents before. But for Eren, he had called the head of research department of Legion corp. 

Levi may not see it right away, but he liked the kid more than he wants to admit. That's why Hange wanted him to treasure Eren, and treat him right. 

When Levi saw Hange ,he rushed to her to ask how Eren was doing. “How is he? Is he okay?”, he asked.

“We need to talk”, she said. She could see the fear in Levi's eyes. And she liked that. She wanted him to be afraid of breaking Eren again. She wanted to make sure he never repeated his mistake again.

So she slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, gesturing Levi to take a seat next to her. 

“Asshole”,she said, trying to gauge his reaction. He uneasily shifted his weight, not looking at her even once.  
She was tormenting him now. She giggled, making Levi turn his head sharply and look at her.

“What the hell? What is it, four eyes?”,he asked finally losing his patience.

“Remebering the last time you were so whipped for someone. Hmm, let's see… Ah! Never!”,she said laughing out loud.

“Oii, you shithead, tell me how's Eren and stop blabbering”

“He will be fine. As long as you don't do him so hard for a week or two”,she teased.

“Hange!”, Levi yelled angrily, for which Hange just ended up laughing.

“Hahahahaha! I mean, seriously. He will be fine. Just don't do it with him for two or three weeks. But I want to talk to you about something else. You are never so rough with anyone. So what happened?”

“He touched me”,he murmured

“What? Touched you? As in hand–”

“No! A normal touch. To get my attention he touched my thigh. And–and– Ugh!”,he said he frustration.

“And? What happened?”,Hange probed further.

“I– Ive never felt that way before. The touch sent sparks flying in me. I wanted to possess him, dominate him and just lock him away so that he could be mine and only mine”,said Levi, balling his fists.

Hange was surprised. _'Could it be…? Of course, not. It's not possible. But what if…'_ ,she thought.

And there was the mystery of Eren's bite mark healing within few hours. She almost figured out what was happening. She just didn't have enough proof to back it up. Right now, she was working just on her hunches. 

“Its okay. You like him more than you think, so it's obvious that you are trying to be possessive. But make sure it doesn't take a dangerous turn. Being possessive about your partner isn't healthy. But neither is being aloof. Give him the right amount of care and love and things will turn out just fine”,she said, almost talking to herself.

She got up to leave abruptly. Startled, Levi stood up too

“Can—can I go and take a look at him? I mean –”, Levi tried to ask when Hange interrupted him saying,“Of course, you can. In fact, you have to go in and see him. He may have few things to talk about. And here are the pills he needs to take. Make sure he eats and rests well for today. He can work from tomorrow”, and handed him some pills.

“See you in office, Mr.I–do–my–boyfriend–so–hard–that–I–have–to–call–the–doctor–next–morning”,she said giggling and ran out of the house before Levi could scold her.

Levi sighed and slumped in the couch nearby. He was afraid to face Eren. Will he hate him? Will he breakup with him? Will he quit his job to avoid Levi? And what was he going to do to keep Eren in his life if Eren decided to leave?

With so many thoughts occupying his mind, he slowly opened the bedroom door and entered. 

“Hey, how are you feeling now?”,he asked Eren in a soft voice.Eren didn't respond. It looked like he was sound asleep.

So he approached him without any commotion and sat next to him on the bed. 

Eren had his eyes closed, his breathing even. Levi chuckled. He had never seen anyone sleep before. But he couldn't get enough of Eren's sleeping face. He gently caressed Eren's head, pushing away stray strands of hair from his eyes. 

“I'm sorry”,he spoke in a whisper, to not wake him up.

“I shouldn't have caused you so much pain. I should have held back. I'm so sorry our first time ended up being such a bad memory for you. I'll make it upto you in any way I can”,he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“It wasn't a bad memory”,Eren replied.

“You're awake?”,he asked, slightly surprised. 

“Hmm, but I'm a bit sore. Is it okay if I come to work in the afternoon?”,he asked innocently.

“You dont have to work today”,Levi said sternly.

“Why? Hange said I'm fine. Why can't I come in to work today?”,he asked slightly raising his voice.

“Coz you're not feeling well. Now take some res–",Levi's hand was swatted away mid sentence. Levi looked at him in shock.

“You think I'm weak don't you? That I can't – I am not even strong to withstand our passionate moment?”,he said, starting to cry again.

_‘Shit, is this what Hange meant when she said we have few things we need to talk about?’_ ,thought Levi.

Levi sighed. Eren was still a kid. Focusing on wrong things, oblivious to the elephant in the room. 

Levi pulled him up slowly and hugged him, resting Eren's head on his chest. He gently placed a kiss on top of his head before continuing,“I don't think you are weak. I never thought you were. But there's no denying the fact you are in no shape to work today. And I'm sorry about that. You can comeback to work tomorrow, so rest till then. Alright?”

“So you're not going to break up with me?”,he asked,sniffing.

“What? Why would I?”,asked Levi, flabbergasted.

“Coz… I, I couldn't do much yesterday and I'm all bruised after one time. I'm completely useless”,he said, burying his head in Levi's chest, expecting a heartbreak.

“You think I'm in this relationship for sex?”,asked Levi.

Eren looked up at Levi, his eyes teary and his mouth ajar. 

Seeing Eren had no answer, Levi continued,“I like you Eren. I'm not going to breakup with you because you bruise easily or because you dont have much experience in sex. I like you as a human and not as a sex toy”,and pulled him close.

Eren silently sobbed and hugged the older man. But without noticing, Eren slipped into a deep slumber in Levi's arms within few minutes. Levi slightly chuckled and placed him on the bed and covered him up again.

That's when he saw the phone on the night stand ring. It was Eren's phone. And Mikasa was calling him. He realised Eren didn't have a chance to tell his friends where he was or what he was doing. Understanding how panicked they were, he attended the call.

“Hello?”

_**“Where is he, you shitty old man?”**_ ,yelled Mikasa.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Reading! <3

“Where is he?”, threatened Mikasa.

“He is with me, his boyfriend”, replied Levi sarcastically.

“You think I have time for your sarcasm? You better send him home this minute!”,she yelled

Levi was irritated now. He could understand if she was worried, but why was she angry? Eren was his boyfriend and he had every right to spend time with him. Her attitude towards their relationship was off-putting and annoying.

“He is with me and I see no reason for why he shouldn't be”,he countered.

“He hasn't picked up any of our calls! He didn't come home yesterday night! And he was bullied because of you in office. Now tell me why I don't want him back home right now!”

Her words affected Levi. He was the reason Eren was bullied in the first place.He was slightly discouraged hearing her say it so straight forwardly. 

“Well, he is with me and he is safe. He is sleeping and can't come to the phone right now”,answered Levi.

“Sleeping? He has to be in office in an hour! What do you mean he is sleeping?”,she yelled again.

“Ill ask Eren to speak to you once he wakes up. Right now, I have nothing else to say”,he said before hanging up abruptly.

_______________________

“Shit! That old man! If he hurts Eren, I'll end him”, Mikasa swore angrily.

“Calm down. Levi is Eren's boyfriend now and Eren has every right to stay over at Levi's place. Yeah, I'm kinda bummed that he didn't inform us, but we can't be angry with him for this”,Armin tried to reason with her.

“Hmph”,Mikasa said angrily, stuffing her bag and preparing to leave for office.

Armin sighed and shook his head before continuing to eat his breakfast.

Erwin had given him too much work over the past week that he just couldn't afford to miss his breakfast nowadays. If he wanted to get through the day, he had to eat atleast twice his usual amount.

He won't deny the fact he was worried about Eren, but that was Eren's personal life and that's where he drew the line. He never involves himself in other people's life. And he liked that favour returned.

Doesn't mean he won't help a friend out, just not without them asking for help first. 

But Mikasa was quite the opposite. She was very involved in her friends life, jumping in to give advice or protect them from harmful relationships. No harm in that, but at times, she did things on her own will without consulting her friend involved, which complicated things. Even with Eren she was rushing head first to protect him from his evil predator aka Levi.

Both of them left the apartment shortly and reached office. Seeing Eren was still not at office, Armin asked “Will he be coming to office today?”

“Dont know! But if something happens I'll never let Levi off the hook! And that brat hasn't called me either–" was saying, when Mikasa's phone rang.

It was Eren. “Eren! Where are you? What happened to you? You okay? Do you want me to pick you up?”,she bombared him with questions.

“Hey Mika, calm down. I'm fine. I'm at Levi's. Sorry I didn't call you to let you know I'll be staying over”,he said

“Its okay. I just wanted you to be okay. When are you coming to office by the way?”,she inquired.

“Ahh, about that. I'll not be coming today”,he said hesitantly.

“Why? What happened?”, Mikasa asked worriedly.

“Um, just running a fever. Nothing serious. Don't worry”

“Fever? Do you want me to come over? I know where he live—”,Mikasa was interrupted when Eren hurriedly said,“No,no! I'm fine. Levi is taking care of me. Don't worry. I'll be back tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe”

Mikasa was not convinced. She wanted to go over to Levi's place that minute, but she didn't want to upset Eren. So she let is slide.

“Hey, Mikasa, Jean is back! I met his yesterday! Let's all meet this weekend!”,said Eren.

“Really? He is back? He didn't let us know”,she said. 

“Yeah. He didn't let any of us know. It was meant to be a surprise itseems”,he said.

“Oh, really? Okay. I'll let Armin know too. Let's hang out in the weekend”,said Mikasa.

“Yeah, let's all han–uh”,yelped Eren in the middle of the conversation.

“Eren! What happened? Eren!”,she panikced.

“Ah, it's nothing. Just hit my toe in the bed. Call you later. Bye”,he hurriedly ended the call.

“Was that Eren?”,asked Armin approaching her from behind. 

“Yeah. He says he is running a fever and won't be coming in today”,she said.

Armin chuckled. “I see”,he said. He guessed why Eren won't be coming in today. But it looked like Mikasa was still in the dark about it 

They both headed towards their respective workspace and began their day.

______________________

Levi was in the room when Eren was talking to Mikasa. He kept chuckling and giggling looking at Eren struggling to lie. 

But the second Eren mentioned Jean's name, his features turned cold. He kept staring at Eren, trying to make him stop talking about Jean. But the brunet didn't get the message.

 _“Yeah. He didn't let any of us know. It was meant to be a surprise itseems”,_ he said.

Levi stopped buttoning his shirt and approached him. Still, Eren was oblivious to his presence. 

_“Yeah, let's all han–uh”_ ,he gasped when Levi held his hand and tried to pull the phone away. It was then Eren saw his grim features.

It sent a shiver down his spine. Levi's presence was so intimidating. He slightly tapped Levi's hand where he held him to show it was starting to hurt. 

Levi could hear Mikasa screaming over the phone asking him what happened. He looked at the phone and then at him before letting his hand go. 

Eren quickly lied to prevent Mikasa from panicking anymore and ended the call.

“You have guts to talk about another man in front of me, Yeager”, Levi said in a low deep voice.

“Its not like that”, said Eren trying to sit up in the bed but winced and lied down as soon as he did so.

“Its just that he is all of our friend and it slipped my mind th–that he is interested in me”,he said with downcast eyes.

Levi looked at him for few seconds before walking out of the room. Eren sighed and continued to go through his phone thinking he had pissed off his boyfriend again.

But Levi came back into the room few minutes later with a hot water pack. 

“Whats that for?”,asked a curious Eren.

“Hot pack alleviates pain”,he said before carefully placing them on Eren's sore hips.

Eren was touched by the gesture. Even though he had made him angry, even though he fuelled jealousy in Levi, Levi cared more about Eren's health than his jealousy, proving to Eren that one doesn't stop caring for the person they love just because they had a disagreement and they're angry.

After few minutes Levi asked,“Feeling better?”

“Yeah, better”

“Okay. The breakfast is on the table. Reheat it before eating. You can order take out for lunch. If you feel like you want to bathe, feel free to use the restrooms. I've left fresh set of clothes for you, thought I'm not sure whether the pants will fit you”said Levi getting up to leave.

But instinctively, Eren held on to his sleeve, surprising himself and Levi.

“What is it, Eren? Need something else?”, asked Levi.

“No, no. Nothing. Sorry”, he said, letting go of the sleeve, embarrassed.

Levi looked at him for a second before getting out of the bed.

But when he was about to open the door, Eren said,“Ca–can you stay with me f–for today?”

Levi stopped in his tracks. Hearing such a request from his boyfriend turned him mellow and soft.He turned around and walked towards Eren. 

“Im mean…–no, not seriously. Was just kidding. Haha”, Eren tried to laugh it off. But Levi hugged the younger man.

“I would love to, but I can't. The work has piled on and needs to be taken care of. So wait for me to get back home. I'll be back soon”, he said, placing a kiss on top of his head. Eren hugged the man tighter in return and replied,“Okay”.

________________________

Levi was restless throughout the day in office. Eren's request to stay with him kept ringing in his ears and he couldn't concentrate on any task. 

He spaced out during the meetings, made mistakes in every work he did.

That's why Hange happened to pass by his cabin. Looking at how frustrated he was, she decided to have a little chat and have some fun at his expense.

“Hi Levi, you seem to be doing really good. Look at the glow—”

“Shut up, Hange. What do you want?”,he asked curtly. 

“How's, you know??”,she asked, raising her eyebrows playfully.

“Unless you have something important to say regarding work, get out”

“Hey, chill man. I just wanted to make sure that —”,was interrupted when Levi said, “Dont talk about unnecessary things in here, Hange”, trying to stop her from saying Eren's name. If somebody happens to be listening to the conversation, they'll spread rumours, the last thing he wants now.

“Haha. Never seen you so serious!. It's funny to see you all nervous and serious”,she giggled.

Levi had finally lost his patience. “Get out”,he commanded.

“Ooh! Scary! Lol! See you later, short cake!!!”,she said and left him alone again.

He continued with his work half heartedly. He wanted to rush back home and snuggle up with Eren. 

Finally, he was done for the day. The thought alone made him happy. He rushed out of the office so fast that he failed to notice Erwin calling his name.

“What's up with him?”,asked a bemused Erwin.

“Hahaha, that's a story for another night. For now, all I could say is, he is smitten”,said Hange.

____________________

Levi hastily opened his apartment door to find Eren on the couch eating pizza with only a shirt on, watching TV.

Eren had a broad smile on his face when he saw Levi. “Hey, Welcome home”,he said.

But only after saying it out loud he realised what he had done. “I mean, haha, it's your house in the first place, I di–didnt mean to invade yo–your personal space. It's just I—”,Eren was stuttering when Levi said,“I'm back”

Eren shyly looked away. They weren't living together. Hell, they haven't been together for one whole week, yet he was happy to see him get back home and welcomed him. 

Levi on the other hand felt dizzy seeing his boyfriend with only a shirt. _**His**_ shirt. Though Levi was short, he was well built,making Eren look tiny in his shirt.

“Looks like you already had your dinner”,commented Levi looking at the almost empty pizza box.Eren looked away, pouting. “I didn't know when you'll be back. If I had known I, would have waited”,he said

Levi chuckled.“Its okay. I'll order something. How are you feeling now?”

“Oh, better actually. I thought these bruises would last for at least a week but they are getting better real quick. Looks like whatever Hange gave are working miracles”,he said looking at the bruises.

 _“The heck?”_ ,Levi thought.

“Tch”,said Levi trying to avoid thinking too much about it.

He changed clothes and sat on the sofa, moving close to Eren. He was surprised when Eren immediately snuggled up to him. “You're warm”,he commented.

Levi suppressed a laugh. Eren said a vampire feels warm. Even though vampires weren't as cold as dead bodies like in the myth, they weren't exactly warm either. They had lower body temperature compared to humans. 

But he found Eren adorable for snuggling up to him, so he pulled him closer, embracing him. What Levi didn't expect was Eren to doze off as soon as he was in Levi's embrace. 

“Tired, huh?”,he whispered and let Eren stay like that when his phone rang. 

“Whats up, four eyes”,he said in a low voice, trying not to wake Eren up. 

_**“Do you want to know what I found?”**_ ,she asked.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Reading! <3

“Do you want to know what I found?”,asked Hange on the phone. 

“Can it wait? Eren is sleeping”,he said in a low whisper

“What that has to do with you? Can't you listen?”,she asked giggling

“He's sleeping on me. I don't wanna wake him up. And you're yelling so much that you're actually waking him up”,he said with a tinge of anger.

“Sleeping on you? Since when–”,she was interrupted when Levi hissed,“Stop yelling, four eyes!”

“Okay,fine. Sleeping on you? Since when do you let people sleep on you?”,she whispered.

“Is that what you wanted to ask? If yes, then I'm ending this call”,said Levi

“No! Wait! I found something that you must know! And sooner the better!”,she said, excitement visible in her voice.

“I'll drop by at your place in the morning. Can it wait till then?”,he asked

“Is it just me or Levi has become a really gentle and a mellow person?”,she giggled non stop.

“Good night”,he said and cut the call before Hange could spew more non sense.

But he froze when Eren slightly stirred. He had got new PJ's for the younger man. But Eren had drifted to sleep before he could hand it over to him. 

“What am I doing? What are you making me do?”,he whispered, gently caressing Eren's hair with one hand.

“Hmmm”,Eren hummed. 

Levi's eyes went wide before chuckling. “Listening to me even in your sleep, huh? Good”,he whispered and picked him up. He moved to the bedroom, placed him on the bed. At the same time, his door bell rang, the food he had ordered had arrived.

He opened the door and reached out to receive the delivery when, “Here's your order, Levi”,said the delivery man.

Levi looked at the man angrily. Who dared to speak to him like that? And then he realised who was in front of him.

“Jean”,he said in a way to assert his dominance.

“Levi. Good evening”,said Jean

“I thought you had a better job to do, than… you know”,he said eyeing Jean from top to bottom.

“Oh, I do. During the day, I'm an intern. In a prestigious institute. And at night I'm a part-timer. And I'm not ashamed of my job. I'm not stealing or conning people. I'm actually proud”,said Jean

“Im sorry. I didn't mean it that way either. Well, good night”,said Levi trying to close the door. But Jean wedged his foot between the door and stopped Levi from closing it.

“I may not be rich like you yet,but I'll not let Eren suffer like you make him suffer now”,Jean said.

“What do you want, Jean?”,he asked, irritated.

“I know he is with you now. I know he spent his night here yesterday and was not able to go to office today. You think I can't put two and two together?”,he asked malignly.

Levi sighed.“As I told you before, what happens between me and him is for us to take care of and not a stranger's busi–”, Levi stumbled back as Jean's fist made contact with Levi's face.

“Im not a stranger!”,he said raising his fist to hit Levi again. But right before the moment, Eren jumped between them and pushed Jean away.

“JEAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”,he yelled.

“What the hell are you doing?”, Jean said eyeing him up and down.

Eren squirmed under his gaze. He was still in the shirt with no pants. Levi noticed this and pulled him behind and stood in front of him, protecting him from the prying pair of eyes.

“Cant you see what he has done to you, Eren? He made you his slut, his whore who stays at home. Come with me now. I'll promise I'll treat you right!”,he yelled.

Eren didn't utter a word and just stood behind Levi.

“If you're not gonna leave now, I'll have to call the security”,said Levi.

“Ill leave if you send Eren with me”,he protested.

“What makes you think he wants to come with you?”,asked Levi.

“Well, for one, he'll at least get to wear clothes!”,mocked Jean.

“It's his house and he gets to wear whatever he wants. You're the unwanted guest here. Don't overstay your welcome”,said Levi, not noticing Eren had been awfully quiet for a while now.

“Whom are you kidding? You've stripped him to fuck him whenever you–”, Jean was interrupted when Eren said,“Get out”

Levi turned to see Eren. He was holding the hem of his shirt, his eyes full of tears. “Eren…”,he said softly and tried to approach him.

“What?”,Jean asked.

“Get out, Jean”,he repeated himself.

“Wow! It's barely been two days, but you already have Stockholm syndrome. He's tormenting you, and you like this twisted love! Wake up, Eren! See what he–”, Jean was shut when Eren started to scream.

“SHUT UP AND GET OUT! STOP SAYING WHATEVER COMES TO YOUR MIND! AND DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE CALL ME YOUR FRIEND EVER AGAIN”

“What? Eren, sweetheart. Liste– hey, stop pushing me! Eren! Listen to me! Eren!”,cried out Jean, when Levi forcefully removed Jean from the apartment.

Levi pushed him out and slammed the door on his face. Jean kept banging on the door till the security removed him from the floor.

Eren just dropped to the floor and wept. “Eren…I'm so sorry. Hey, you okay?”,asked Levi for which Eren clutched on to his shirt and cried on his shoulder.

Levi hugged him tight.“I thought you were sleeping. Why did you wake up?”,he asked trying to distract him.

“I felt disgusted”,he said

“Why?”,asked Levi.

“When his eyes roamed all over me, I felt disgusted. Like he assaulted me with just his eyes. I thought he was my friend, but the way he looked at me, like I was some worm”,he wept and trembled in grief.

Levi just held him tight. He never had friends apart from Hange and Erwin. And he has never fought with them either. So he didn't know how to console Eren. He never gave opinions about things he hasn't experienced himself. So he just let Eren lead this moment, just trying to be there for him.

When Eren calmed down considerably, Levi said,“Want something to drink? Hot chocolate or coffee?”

Eren shook his head. “I– I just want to change into different clothes”

“I bought you new sets of PJ's. But since you fell asleep, I couldn't give it to you. Let me fetch it for you”,he said, helping Eren up and sitting him down on the sofa.

He went into the bedroom and came back with four new sets of PJ's and handed them over to Eren.

Eren got them from Levi and went inside the room to change. He came out few minutes later, looking like a lost child in brown PJ's. 

“Why four?”,asked Eren

“What?”,he asked unable to comprehend the question.

“Why did you buy four of them?”

“Oh. I wasn't sure what color you liked and if you wanted to stay over, you can do so without having to worry about clothes. So I just–Hmmmph”,Levi was stopped half way when Eren kissed him mid sentence.

When he parted, Levi asked“What was that for?”

“One, during the argument saying it's my house too and defending me and two, being so thoughtful and getting me PJ's for future stay over”

It was at this moment it stuck Levi what he told Jean. “Eren, I didn't mean it in a way to impose you to live here, I just–”

“Levi, I get it. And thank you. It meant a lot. Where's the first aid kit, by the way?”,he asked

“Why? Are you hurt anywhere? Should I call Hange? Let me get my keys”,he said getting up but was pushed down by Eren. 

“You are the one who's hurt. Jean punched you in your face and you've got a bruise under your right eye”,said Eren.

“Oh”,he said touching his face. A spot under his right eye was slightly swollen.

“It's in the cupboard in the bathroom. I'll get it”,he said and brought the first aid kit.

Eren made him sit down and applied ointment. Levi didn't wince or pull away, which surprised Eren. 

“All done. Um, Levi, I know you're hungry, but…”

“Hmm?”

“Ill cook you something. Don't eat this. I don't like wasting food either but after what happened, I don't want you to eat the food which was delivered”,he said sadly.

“I was thinking the same. But I'll be the one cooking. You take rest”,he said patting his head. 

“Ill help!”

Levi and Eren cooked a quick meal together and had dinner. 

Once in bed, Eren snuggled up to him, and Levi automatically wrapped his hand around him.

“Levi? You awake?”

“Yes. What's up?”

“Thank you”

“Hmm? For what?”

“It didn't take a second for my best friend of so many years to see me as a slut for being dressed that way. His gaze felt like… he stripped me naked with his eyes. But I've known you for not more than a week. But never once I've felt that way. In your presence. Somehow I felt safe and respected. And it was at that moment I knew what I wanted in a relationship: I want to feel safe and respected,no matter the circumstance.So thank you for giving me my safe haven”

Levi just held his breath on listening to him. He understood that Eren was still a child in many ways, learning about this world in his own way and pace. He just wished he could support him in his journey. Forever.

“I don't want to say cheesy shit like ‘Anything for you’. But your well being is my priority. And it always will be”, said Levi, gently rubbing circles on Eren's back who was slowly drifting to sleep.

“Hmm. I love you too”, said Eren sleepily.

Levi froze. Eren was a good kid. And he felt guilty for hiding who he truly was from him, but still making Eren fall in love with him. 

With guilt griping his heart, he too slowly drifted to sleep.

___________________

The morning came with a beautiful view. The sunlight seeped through the curtains and fell softly on Eren, his honey colored skin shining in the soft glow.

Levi couldn't take his eyes away from him. As he was about to get up, he received a call. It was Hange.

“Hey, shorty. You said you'll drop by in the morning. When?”, she asked, munching on something. 

“God! Did you even sleep?”,asked Levi.

“I will. So when are you dropping by?”

“Tch. I'll be there in an hour”

“Okay. By the way, can you check on Eren's bruises? He shouldn't have any now”

“What? How could that be possible? It will take at least a week for the swelling to reduce. Let alone disappear”

“Be a peach and check them for me, will you?”

“Tch”, he said and checked his boyfriend skeptically.

 _ **“What the hell?!”**_ , exclaimed Levi.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy reading <3

“What the hell?”, exclaimed Levi, looking at Eren's torso.

The bruises were almost healed, with only few small brown and purple spots here and there. 

“Hey, four eyes, what did you do?”,he asked in a hushed whisper

“What did I do? Babe, what did you do? That's just one of the fascinating things I found. You better get your ass down here as soon as you can. You have a truck load waiting”

“Shit”,he swore under his breath. “Will be there in 30”,he said and ended the call.

“Hmmm”

_____________________

Levi got ready in lighting speed. Eren was still fast asleep. Not wanting to wake him up, he picked up the sticky note pad and wrote a short note for him

‘Stepping out early. See you in office.   
-Levi’

He stuck it on the bedroom door and left. He drove as fast as possible to reach Hange's place.

When he reached her placed, he saw what he expected. Hange was as shabby as a human could possibly be. Her glasses were askew, hair disheveled. She had spent a sleepless night and it was visible. 

“Come in”,she said yawning.

“Why does he–”,started Levi,but stopped when Hange put up a hand.

“Come and take a look at this",she said pointing at her microscope. 

There was no way to differentiate which was her living room and which was her lab. Hange worked whenever curiosity struck her, which means she had equipments almost in all her rooms, making all the rooms her lab. 

She pointed to the microscope at the table. Papers were scattered all over the floor. “Tch”,said Levi looking at the unkempt room.

But he complied and took a look at what Hange asked him to. He couldn't make out much from it.“I can't make much out of it. The cells are moving?”

“Multiplying. The cells are multiplying rapidly. Now take a look at this slide”,she said replacing the slide.

“They are…still?”,he said uncertainly.

“HmmHmm. That's right. That's normal skin cells. Not much action there. That was scoped from Eren as well, but from a different spot”

“Okay?…”,he asked unsure of what Hange was expecting out of him.

“The skin cells from the place where you bit him,they are in the first slide. The second slide from another region”,said Hange, looking at him expectantly. But Levi just kept looking at her. She sighed defeatedly.

“Where you bit him, well, those spots are healing on their own, without the involvement of Eren's blood cells.”

“How is that possible?”,asked Levi, a bit confused.

“Scientifically, there's no explanation. There's no way an organ can heal on its own, without involving the blood cells”,said Hange 

Levi could sense a ‘but’ waiting for him, so he stayed silent, prompting Hange to carry on. 

“But I digged deep. Into you know, ‘our’ scriptures”,she paused, expecting Levi to be more inquisitive. 

“What's in our scripts?”,he asked

“Oh,I only know what's not in there”,said Hange, fixing her glasses.

“Meaning?”

“There is not a single sentence about human-vampire soul pairs”,she said.

“Hahahahahahahahahaha”,laughed Levi.

“What?”,she asked

“You think Eren and I are soul pairs? Are you even listening to yourself? I barely know that kid for one week and been boyfriends for less than that. You think we are soul–pairs? I didn't think–”

“Okay, then let me fuck him tonight”, Hange interrupted Levi casually, tidying up the room.

Levi's features grew cold, perilous aura surrounding him. 

Unaffected, she continued “What? He isn't your soul pair. And you have no intention of being with him for more than a month. Let me have him then. I've had an eye on that kid since day 1. I could do all sorts of experiments, inside the bedroom and out–”,she was cut short when Levi slammed his fist on the table. 

She eyed him with a smirk. She knew how to rile him up. She wasn't sure either. She wasn't sure whether they were a soul pair yet. But she has never seen Levi care for another person like this before. Never been so concerned about another person. Never been so gentle or considerate. But above all, never so possessive and territorial. 

He was exhibiting all the traits of someone who found their soul pair. Though, in case of vampires, both of them know that they have found their soul pair, they start mimicking each other's behaviour, and at times, able to read each other's mind too.

“Dude, that table is new. Don't break it. So, when are you gonna hand him over? The sooner the bet– ugh”,struggled Hange when Levi held her by the collar.

“Dont you dare say another word!”,he said menacingly.

She was brave. She continued,“Why? Is it bothering you? You laughed at the probability of you guys being soul pair. Why are you angry now?”

“Tch”,he said and let go of her. 

“There must be another reason why the cells are acting like that. Find it out and stop spewing nonsense”,he said.

“There is”,she said adjusting her dress.

Levi just looked at her with a raised eyebrow, pissed because of the previous conversation they had.

“When you bite him, either your blood or saliva is causing this healing effect on his body. Commonly known as ‘Acceptance’ in vampires soul pairs. His body accepts you. But he ain't a vampire, so I can't pin point why yet. But I have no explanation for why all the bruises healed so fast”,she said. 

She lied. Eren started exhibiting ‘Acceptance’,a common phenomenon observed in vampire soul pairs, their initmate moments, no matter how voilent it is, is ‘accepted’ between the pair. Meaning, their bites and other passionate exchange of love doesn't hurt the other. 

But till date, there hasn't been a record of a human-vampire soul pair, the reason why she was unable to convince Levi that he has found his soul pair yet.

“Work on it”,he said and left her house.

When he got into his car, his phone rang. Without paying much attention, he attended the call. “Hello?”, he said, his voice stoic.

“Levi? You left early? I was worried when I wasn't able to find you next to me”,said Eren in a raspy morning voice.

“Oh, I left a note for you on the door. Didn't you see it?”,he asked, his voice so gentle and soothing.

“I didn't get up yet. You weren't next to me when I woke up, so I called you”,he said sleepily.

“Sorry. I didnt want to wake you up. You were sound asleep”, he replied, with a small smile on his face knowing his boyfriend expected to see him as soon as he woke up. 

“Hmm, it's okay. I'll see you in the office”, said Eren.

“Mmh. Yeah", replied Levi.

As he was about to start the car, he heard someone knock on the window, startling him.

“You left your briefcase in there”,said Hange, with a smug look on her face.

“Thanks”,he said and got it from her before driving away.

“Not a soul pair, my ass”,she said watching him drive away. Levi might have not noticed, but as soon as he heard Eren's voice, he brightened up. All the irritation and anger he had was gone in a second.

She was determined to prove that Eren was indeed his soul pair. And probably the first human vampire soul pair ever.

__________________

When Eren reached office, Levi was already in his cabin, working. 

“Good morning”,said Eren

“Mmh”,replied Levi without looking up.

Eren pouted when Levi didn't even look at him. It didn't go unnoticed. But Levi didn't comment on that. In fact, he wasn't ready to face Eren. 

He didn't believe Hange, about them being soul pairs, but something was bothering him. Levi automatically felt good when he thought about Eren or when he was in Eren's presence. 

Levi didn't want to let Eren out of his sight. But he didn't understand why and refused to agree with Hange. Afterall, he was a vampire and Eren was a human.

He kept staring at Eren for a long time. And this made the younger man slightly uncomfortable. 

“Um…Levi? Is everything alright?”,he asked, unable to bear his intense gaze anymore.

“Why do you think people like you?”,asked Levi out of the blue.

Eren was stunned into silence. “Um..ah..”,he stuttered, unable to form a comprehensible sentence.

“Nothing. Just thinking out loud”,said Levi before continuing with his work, leaving Eren completely baffled.

_____________________

It was lunch break and Eren met with his friends. 

“Eren, do you know how outrageous it is? You stayed with a man you barely know. What's wrong with you?”,asked Mikasa furiously.

“Do you know what's more outrageous? You ratting me out to Jean. You letting him know where I was for the night”,he said turning his head away.

“He is one of your best friend! You would rather be with a stranger than your best friend?”, rebutted Mikasa.

“Mikasa, you have no idea what he did! And he is not who you think he is! He has been hiding his true colors!”,cried Eren.

“He ain't that bad! We all knew he liked you, of course he was going to be possessive and maybe jealous when you chose someone over him in a heartbeat”

“Why are you taking his side? Do you have any idea what he did?”, asked Eren

“Other than loving you for all these years?”, asked Mikasa sarcastically.

“Mika, stop. What happened, Eren?”, asked Armin

“He hit Levi! And he–he”,his lips quivered, unable to say what actually happened.

“Hey, what happened?”,asked Armin, seeing Eren at the verge of tears.

But before he could reply, he was interrupted. “Eren, we have an impromptu meeting in 15 minutes. Please come with me”,said Levi almost pulling Eren away from the table. Levi had noticed the three were involved in a heated conversation and that Eren grew more uncomfortable by the minute. So he came to his rescue.

“Ah, okay. See you guys later!”,he said while he was being dragged away by Levi, leaving the other two stunned.

______________________

While they were at a safe distance from Eren's friends, Eren said,“Its okay. I don't feel that bad about what happened yesterday. Thanks though”, thinking Levi pulled him away from his friends because Levi couldn't see Eren uncomfortable.

“What?”,Levi asked coldly. “We have an impromptu meeting. Please don't mistake professional urgency for personal favours while we are in office”,he said before walking away.

Eren couldn't control his tears. He excused himself immediately and ran to the restroom. He locked himself in the stall and wept.

Few minutes later, he heard someone knock on the stall 

“Occupied”,he said in between sniffles.

But the person on the other end didn't stop and kept knocking.

“Occupied!”, he said louder and once again his tears fell.

“I know. Open up”,the voice on the other side of the door said.

“What are you doing here?”, Eren asked.

“Open up and I'll tell you”, said the voice

“Why would I?”, argued Eren.

“Coz you're my boyfriend”,said Levi breaking the lock and opening the door.

“Am I? Wow, that's news to me! Coz boyfriends don't treat each other like treasure one minute and shit the other!”,he said trying to push Levi out of the stall. But he was weak compared to Levi and failed. 

“Please leave me alone”, Eren pleaded.

“Im afraid I can't”,said Levi, sitting on haunches in front of Eren.

“I can't figure you out. Just like in the beginning, you're sweet one moment and act like you hate me the next. I don't know anymore, Levi”,he said, breaking down in front of Levi.

Levi took a deep breath. “I am sorry. I don't have any logical explanation to justify my actions. But I can't see you hurt–”

“Then don't”, interrupted Eren.

“What?”

“Then don't hurt me, Levi. If you can't see me hurt, then don't hurt me. Is it that hard? Can't you see your words and actions are contradicting each other?”,said Eren, his lips quivering and tears flowing down his cheeks.

Levi was taken aback. He knew he had a lot of explaining do to, but he never stopped to think that even those explanations won't justify him hurting Eren or being cold to him. He now truly understood the consequences of his actions and behaviour.

“I am not asking you to show favouritism. I am not asking you to treat me in a special way. I'm just asking you to be consistent. Is it too much to ask for?”,asked Eren,his entire body shaking from crying so hard.

“No. It's not hard. I'm sorry, Eren. But right now I only have an apology. Will you give me a chance to show you I can change? It's not going to happen overnight, but I promise you, I'll make sure to change so I can finally say that I deserve you.”,said Levi holding Eren's shaky hands.

Eren just lunged forward and hugged Levi, crying his heart out on Levi's chest. The raven haired man hugged him tighter.

But what Eren didn't notice was Levi's eyes were moist as well. He was holding back his tears. Seeing Eren cry did him no good. He realised he loved the young man, soul pairs or not. And he would do anything to preserve his relationship with Eren.

When Eren had considerably calmed down, he realised the restroom was oddly quiet.

“Levi, why is the restroom oddly quiet?”,he voiced his concern.

“Oh, I placed an ‘Out of service’ board outside the door. So we could have some privacy”,Levi said it like it's something everyone would do.

“You did what?”,asked Eren, his eyes wide.

“Would you rather have the entire building come in here and do their business while you're crying your heart out?”,asked Levi, a bit confused.

Eren slightly punched Levi in his chest. Levi chuckled and stood up. 

Offering Eren a hand, he asked,“Shall we go out now?”

_**“And not make full use of this privacy?”**_ ,asked Eren teasingly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope all of guys are safe! Stay home,stay safe! I hope these updates bring a little comfort to you during these hard times <3 Happy reading <3

“And not make full use of this privacy?”, Eren asked playfully.

Levi chuckled and pulled him up. “Actually, we do have an impromptu meeting. 10 mins ago",he said.

“Re–really?”, Eren said, all flustered.

“Yeah”

“Oh, Im–Im sorry. I didn't know. I really thought that you made it up”,he admitted shyly.

“Its okay. I'll go out first. You freshen up and then join the meeting. It's in conference room B-2”,he said and started walking towards the door.

“Okay”, Eren said with downcast eyes.

Right before he exited, Levi turned around and said,“Oh, almost forgot”,and walked towards Eren. He slightly touched Eren's cheek and placed a light kiss on his lips.

“See you soon”,he said and walked out, leaving a blushing Eren behind.

Once Levi was out, Eren placed both his hands on the countertop to steady himself and looked in the mirror. 

“Damn, he knows some smooth moves”,he said to himself. Small gestures from Levi left his heart beating fast, expecting more. 

“Ugh”,he sighed and washed his face to remove the tear stains and to freshen up.

He walked out of the restroom as quickly as he can, in case anyone had been noticing the two of them. He got the few files from his desk and proceeded to the conference room.

He took a deep breath before opening up the door and saying,“Please excuse me”

The investors and other partners took one look at him and turned their attention back to the meeting. 

The reason for the reaction is: They saw puffy eyes, a slightly red nose and an invisible plaque saying ‘Levi's Assistant’. They needed to know no more. All of Levi's assistants have been in miserable state. Almost all of them were always at the verge of tears, Eren not being exception to it. Hence, they didn't bat an eyelid seeing Eren in such a state. 

Erwin also noticed this. But he noticed something else as well. Throughout the meeting, Levi kept locking eyes with Eren, and Eren getting flustered each time. 

And he immediately knew there was much more going on between them. He slightly shook his head and smiled. Hange, on the other hand, was giggling. 

After the meeting was over, every one had dispersed except for Levi, Eren, Erwin and Hange.

“Sooooooo?”,Hange sang, looking at the pair.

“What?”,asked Levi irritatedly. 

“Levi, the punctual man was late for the first time in his life. I wonder what the reason is?”,she said, eyeing Eren

Embarrassed, Eren tried to hide behind Levi, but Levi pulled him forward and made him stand next to him.

“Its because we had no prior notice”, Levi said curtly.

“That's why you scolded him? Is that why he is crying?”,asked Erwin.

“I scolded him? Of course, I didn't. He didn't know about the meeting as well. Why would I scold him for something he doesn't know?”,Levi shrugged it off.

“Then why was he crying?”,inquired Hange,the entire conversation being very funny to her.

“None of your damn business”,said Levi picking up few files and trying to dodge his friends.

Knowing they will not get anything out of Levi, they tried to attack Eren.

“What did you do that made him angry? Need some help beating his ass up?”,asked Hange, circling him.

“Um…No, it–its not like that. We–I mean , I didn't –Um”,Eren stuttered.

“Lets go”,said Levi, pulling him away from his friends.

“Levi”,called out Erwin

Levi just stopped and looked at Erwin,still holding Eren's hand.

“Lets have a drink after work. My place. All of us”,he said looking at Eren.

Levi just looked around the room. Erwin inviting someone for drinks was for the sole purpose of mind games. Him asking everyone to gather in his house? A silent massacre.

Levi just nodded and left, with Eren on tow. Once they were out, Levi said,“If he challenges you to a drinking game, don't accept it”,to Eren.

“Uh?”,asked Eren, confused.

Levi just kept walking, to move on to the next item on his schedule for the day. It was going to be a long day.

_____________________

Levi and Eren were at Levi's place after work, getting ready for the night. Levi was unusually nervous. And Eren noticed it.

“Hey, is everything okay? You seem a bit nervous”,he asked,approaching Levi.

“Eren",Levi held his shoulder and made his sit down.

Looking into his eyes, he continued. “No matter what Erwin says, don't take it personally. Always remember, I'll be right next to you. And try to drink less”

Eren nodded but couldn't help laugh a bit. He just giggled. 

“What?”,asked Levi, knitting his brows.

“Its like you're taking me to meet your parents! You're so damn nervous!”,he kept giggling.

Levi just stared at him long and hard. Eren suddenly shuddered and looked up at him, as his stare was intense.

“Sorry”,he said with downcast eyes.

Levi sighed a deep breath. “I didn't mean to scare you off. I'm sorry too”,he said kissing on top of Eren's head. 

Levi and Eren left to Erwin's place. Hange was already there, ordering food for everyone.

“Come in, Levi. Come in, young man”,said Erwin, warmly welcoming the pair.Erwin placed a hand on Eren's shoulder and guided him into the house. The mere gesture showed Eren who was in charge of the night. The hold was gentle yet firm, subtle yet powerful.

Levi was stronger when it came to physical ability and had strong mental prowess as well. But, Erwin was a genius. His mind games were on another level. No one knows the web he has spun until they are stuck in it. 

Levi didn't feel intimidated by Erwin, he was just worried for Eren. He kept close to Eren. He knew Eren was still very young to go against a giant like Erwin and win.

The food they ordered arrived and they all started eating. They all were chit-chating. And then Erwin pulled out the wine.

“White or red?”,he asked pulling out two bottles of Carlo Rossi.

“Whiskey. And he will have none”,said Levi 

“Oh, come on. Let him unwind a bit. It's been a long week”,said Erwin, pouring Eren some red wine.

“Exactly. It's still a weekday. He can't have any”,said Levi, taking the glass away from Eren.

“Why, are you afraid of something?”,said Erwin, eyeing him mockingly.

“No, he is a light weight. He can't have any during the weekday”,countered Levi.

“Why, Eren can perfectly handle himself. He is an adult afterall. Am I right, Eren?”,asked Erwin, with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Eren shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The pressure was intense. He had never seen anyone whose mere presence was enough to send shivers down the spine.

Hange was unbothered. She kept digging into her food and kept eating and drinking. Eren looked around the room for help but didn't get any.

“N–No, I can't handle alcohol well. And it's still a weekday. So I would rather not”,said Eren

“Oh, come on. One little glass ain't gonna hurt”, Erwin nudged him.

Eren looked helplessly at Levi. Levi couldn't openly say not to take it, but he had a cold look in his eyes. Erwin, on the other hand looked like he devil's incarnation, holding the wine bottle in one hand and glass in the other. 

Eren caved in under the pressure. Levi slightly shook his head. Erwin handed him the glass. 

“Bon santé”,said Erwin.

Eren took few sips from the glass and placed it on the table. It was a bit strong for Eren.

But as far as Erwin was concerned, it had the desired effect on Eren. His eyes became a bit unfocused and glassy after some time.

“So Eren, tell me about Armin”,said Erwin.

“Armin? He was the smartest kid in our class. What he lacked in physical ability, he compensated it with his brain. But so loyal. Once he trusts you and takes your side, he never switches sides. He's the ride or die kinda guy”,said Eren without any kind of inhibition.

“Mikasa? She seems interesting”,he asked, trying to get something out of him, but to his surprise, Eren clung to Levi, sleepily.

Erwin raised an eyebrow and looked at Levi. Levi just looked at his friend and said,“Told you he is a light weight”

“Haha, I give up”,said Erwin throwing up his hands.

“He's a nice kid,Erwin”,said Levi

“And probably his soul mate as well”,chimed in Hange, casually eating her dinner.

“What?", Exclaimed Erwin, surprised by Hange's comment.

“Oh, ignore her. She has been spouting this nonsense since yesterday”,said Levi, discounting Hange's words. But Erwin eyed them suspiciously.

“Am I missing something?”,he asked the duo.

“Oh! Didn't you–”,started Hange

“Shut up, Hange”, interrupted Levi. Eren was almost asleep at this point. So Levi tried to move as little as possible and avoided raising his voice.

“Hence proved”, giggled Hange, pointing at Eren and Levi and how Levi's behaviour changed.

“Levi?”,questioned Erwin.

“It's nothing. And it's better not to discuss about it right now”,he said, looking at Eren who was sleeping on his shoulder. But Erwin wasn't convinced.

“Oh, you should ask him about those bite marks”, giggled Hange but immediately shuddered when she realised a pair of eyes was watching her.

Eren was awake but not fully in his sense. He heard bite marks and started to tear up.

“Eren darling, what's up?”,asked Hange getting up from her chair and moving towards Eren.

He just hugged Levi tighter in return and cried on harder.“Hey, what's wrong?”,asked Levi, pulling him in for an embrace.

Eren just pressed his face harder on Levi's shoulder and continued to cry. Hange tried to take his temperature but failed. “Let him be”,said Levi swatting her hand away.

“But why is he crying?”,she asked. 

“If I tell you, you won't believe me”,said Eren between his sobs.

“Tell us what, Eren?”,asked Levi.

Eren clutched onto Levi's shirt and continued,“Ar–around three months ago, I was walking down the Turing alley on Halloween”

Levi was already squirming. He was afraid that this was going to be the last night they were going to spend together.

“And?”,asked Erwin, finally having Eren where he wanted him to be.

Levi glared at him. He knew it was going to happen, but didn't mean he was going to keep quiet and let Erwin do whatever he wanted with Eren.

“I was pinned down by a strange man in the dark alley”,Eren cried.

Hange and Erwin looked at Levi with a smug look on their face. Levi just held Eren without uttering a word.

“He–He–”,sobbed Eren.

“What did he do, Eren? Don't be afraid. We wont judge you. You're safe here”,said Erwin trying to get him to talk. He just wanted to get some dirt on Levi.

“He bit me in my neck. His teeth was unusually long, you know? Like fangs”,he said, looking up at Levi with teary eyes 

Hange was on her haunches, laughing silently. Erwin turned the other way to stop himself from laughing out loud. Drunk Eren was way more interesting than he thought to be.

Seeing no reaction from Levi, Eren started to cry again.“You don't believe me, do you?”

Levi was too lost to reply. How was he to tell Eren that the stranger was none other than Levi himself? Looking at his boyfriend all teary made him sad, but he was afraid the truth will separate them forever.

He slowly regained his composure and said,“Of course, I believe you. I would be surprised if someone can restrain themself around you”

“What?”,asked Eren with innocence of a child.

“You have no idea how irresistible you are. No wonder you were attacked”,he tried to escape Eren's question as much as he can.

“So, you believe me?”

“Yes, I do”

“You don't think less of me?”,he asked his eyes filled with tears.

“Why would I think so?”,asked Levi, confused.

“I am a guy, but I got attacked. Do you think that makes me any less of a man?”

It was at this moment Levi fully understood why Eren was so fragile mentally. Eren let the external factors determine his worth. He had a flimsy idea about masculinity and was greatly affected by what others might say about him. It just reinforced the fact that Eren was still very young and had a long way to go before he loved himself as he was. 

“Eren, nothing makes you less of a man. You got attacked. You're the victim. The person who attacked you must feel guilty, not you”,he said fondly caressing his head.

“And Im sure that person feels guilty as well”,said Hange, looking at Levi.

“But how could I let that happen. That's what you're thinking right?”,he was still sobbing, his head still buried in his shoulder.

“Eren, look at me",he said, lifting Eren's face by the chin. His eyes were red from crying,his nose starting to turn really pink from all that sniffing.

“No. I don't think that. Nobody thinks that. It's not your fault. A man who attacks another person is a scum. Don't you dare think less of yourself because you're weren't able to defend yourself from a monster”,he said wiping away the tears with his thumb.

“Will you still love me the same?”,he asked, his lips quivering

“Nothing can change my love for you, Eren. Let alone your insecurities. But I can assure you one thing. If there ever happens to be a next time, you'll not be as defenseless as you were before. I'll personally train you to defend yourself in any type of situation”,he said kissing his forehead.

Hange and Erwin looked at Levi, flabbergasted. The captain of survey corps, one of the most fearsome group of soldiers, was willing to teach a **"human"** personally? The shock was evident in their faces, but Hange was quicker to recover from it. She gave Erwin a _‘I told you so’_ look.

“Okay”,he said, sniffing. 

“He becomes whiny when drunk. He's a whiny drunk!”,sang Hange in a weird tone.

Eren was in Levi's embrace. He snuggled up to him and laid his head on Levi's chest. He paid no attention to anyone else in the room. He looked at, and listened to only Levi, like Levi had consumed his entire world. Levi was all he could he could see in his delirious state.

And Hange could'nt get enough of it. She pulled out her phone and started clicking pictures of the pair. Levi hid Eren's face with his hands and tried to shoo Hange away. Erwin was just looking at his friends in shock.

Levi thought Eren had fallen asleep, but he kept murmuring something. 

"What?",asked Levi, trying to get Eren to say it out loud. 

But what Eren asked stunned everyone into silence. 

_**“Levi, do you believe in vampires?”**_ ,he asked sleepily.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year 🎉! Hope all of you have a wonderful year ahead!

“Levi, do you believe in vampires?”,asked a sleepy Eren, leaning on Levi.

They room went silent enough to hear one's own heartbeat. 

“Why?”,asked Levi, his voice unsteady, afraid Eren has already figured out his identity.

Hugging the man tighter,“That day, it felt like… a vampire bit me. I know it's foolish to think so…but…”,he dozed off.

“That was a close call”,said Erwin, breaking into a sweat.

“Our dear boy is smart. If you're not careful, he is going to sniff out the truth”,she said pouring herself a glass of wine.

Levi breathed a sigh of relief. “The problem is not him figuring it out, it's what he would do after he finds out”

“Then make sure he never does”,said Erwin, his voice suggesting it was a command.

“And you know I don't take orders from anyone”, Levi countered. Both of them were releasing strong pheromones. 

Levi was in no way less intimidating than Erwin,though both of them were royals. Erwin commenting on _**his**_ Eren made him territorial, asking Erwin to stay back with just his pheromone.

Hange just shivered, their pheromone game strong, making her cower in fear. “Guys, stop”,she tried to break off the fight but to no vail. Only when Eren stirred,Levi backed off. 

Eren's eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes still closed. “Hmmmm”,he mumbled, uncomfortable due to all those pheromone.

“It's alright. We are leaving now”,said Levi, picking Eren up and getting ready to leave.

Erwin placed a hand on his shoulder. Levi stopped and turned to look at his friend, Eren still in his hands. 

“I am worried, Levi. I am not going to lie. I am happy for you but I'm afraid there will be a slip sooner or later. If he is just a fling, then break up with him as soon as possible, before there's a chance for him to jeopardize our community”,said Erwin

Levi gave him a stern look. “I can take care of myself, Erwin. You dont have to worry about it”

“I know you can take care of yourself, Levi. But, god forbid, what if he finds out who we truly are and tries to expose us? What will you do then? You know royal court doesn't hesitates to kill humans if they get too close–”

“Enough!”,yelled Levi, interrupting him

Erwin just stared at him, his face devoid of any reaction. “I am eager to see how this relationship is going to unfold”

Levi just looked at him from the corner of his eyes before walking out of the apartment.

“Shorty is whipped”,said Hange giggling.

“More than whipped, I'm afraid. So what's this soul pair thing you mentioned before?”, inquired Erwin, intended to milk information from Hange that day. Because there was no logical explanation for Levi acting the way he did, so if there were any unconventional reason available, he was ready to take it.

_______________________

Levi drove back to his apartment. Initially he planned to drop Eren at his apartment after the dinner, but seeing him this way made Levi protective, so he just drove back to his place.

Eren was sound asleep. Levi guessed the burnett might be weak to alcohol but he didn't know Eren was this weak to alcohol.

“Tch, I'm not allowing you anywhere near alcohol again”,he said, carrying the younger man to his apartment.

He removed his coat and shoes and laid him down on the bed. That's when he felt Eren's phone buzz in the coat. He didn't want to snoop around Eren's phone but the phone kept buzzing non stop. 

Curiosity got the better of him and he pulled out to check who was messaging Eren this late.

His face wore a nasty expression on seeing who was disturbing his boyfriend. Jean.

“What does this shit head want now? Didn't he learn his lesson last time?”,he said with irritation.

“Tch”,he kept the phone on silent and placed it on the night stand. He was irritated to see messages from Jean, but he wasn't going to open them and read it without Eren knowing about it.

“Who is it?”,Eren asked sluggishly, startling Levi

“Oh, it's Jean. He has been messaging you”,said Levi honestly.

“Oh”,he said, his voice cracked due to parched throat.

“Want some water?”,asked Levi.

“Hmm,thanks”,Eren took Levi up on his offer.

When Levi came back with some water, Eren was going through his phone with hazy eyes. 

“What does he want?”,Eren was speaking to himself

“Go back to sleep after drinking some water”,said Levi trying to take the phone out of his hand. 

He was pissed. He didn't want his boyfriend to drunk text an asshole at late night.

But Eren dodged his attempts to remove the phone. “Hey, sit here nah”,he gestured Levi to sit beside him.

He handed him the glass and sat beside him. Eren linked hands and rested his head on Levi's shoulder. “Look at this guy. How shameless”,he said showing the screen to Levi. 

“Hmm”, said Levi without much interest. 

“Should I reply to him saying not to disturb me anymore?”,he asked.

“That's upto you, Eren. He _was_ your friend, after all”,he said, implicitly saying that their friendship was a matter of the past.

“As my boyfriend, what do you feel?”,he said looking up at him with doe eyes.

“As your boyfriend, I want to snatch your phone away from you and delete all those messages from that asshole. No one wants their boyfriend/girlfriend drunk texting their ex. But that's invading your privacy and being an asshole myself”, replied Levi, honestly replying to his drunk lover. 

“Now I understand why I fell for you”,he said, deleting all the messages from Jean and blocking his number. 

Levi was stunned into silence. It was the second time the younger man confessed his feelings, not giving Levi a chance to respond to it. But he was curious.

“Eren?”

“Hmm?”

“What if I had deleted those messages and blocked his number without your knowledge? What would you do then?”

“Ohhhh, a dominating boyfriend. Me likey!”,he giggled.

“You-you are actually okay with such behaviour?”,asked Levi, worried about Eren's low standards for his partners. 

“Hmmm. It just shows you care about me right?”,he said,still in a daze.

_“Oh my god. He is still a child! What am I going to do with him?”_ , worried Levi.

“I don't know whether you'll remember this conversation,but please know that it's not normal. Such a behaviour is called controlling your partner and it's never okay. Respect should be the basis of any relationship. On top of which should be love. Even if we break up, even if we don't end up together, I want you to remember that someone controlling your activities is not normal and it's never healthy”,he said, worriedly caressing Eren's face.

Eren was slowing drifting to sleep. He sighed and tucked Eren in, turned off the lights. 

“Good night”,he whispered and went to sleep.

______________________

Levi left for office earlier. When he woke up he noticed Eren was in deep sleep. He just let him sleep. 

But only after reaching office he realised that Eren was his personal assistant and he had to be in office before Levi did. He sighed. 

“Why didn't I wake him up?”,he mentally kicked himself.

This was just going to spread rumours. He had never been lenient with his personal assistants. So if he starts to show special treatment towards Eren, it's going to end up a mess. 

He hardened his resolve to issue Eren a memo for being late when Eren stormed into his cabin and locked the door.

“What are you doing—”,Levi was cut mid sentence.

The younger man was on him in a blink of an eye and kissed the hell out of him.

Eren's vigor had Levi panting. Eren was panting as well. But his eyes were glassy. He had been crying.

“Eren, you okay?”,asked Levi, trying to steady his breath.

“No, I'm not. And you're the reason for it”,he said his lips quivering.

Levi was confused. If he were the reason Eren was crying then why did he kiss him so passionately. He looked at Eren expectantly.

Eren understood what Levi was thinking. So he pulled out his phone and played a recording.

_"Hey, sit here nah”_

_“Look at this guy. How shameless”_

_“Hmm”_

_“Should I reply to him saying not to disturb me anymore?”_

_“That's upto you, Eren. He _was_ your friend, after all”_

_“As my boyfriend, what do you feel?”_

_“As your boyfriend, I want to snatch your phone away from you and delete all those messages from that asshole. No one wants their boyfriend/girlfriend drunk texting their ex. But that's invading your privacy and being an asshole myself”_

_“Now I understand why I fell for you”_

_……………_

_“Eren?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“What if I had deleted those messages and blocked his number without your knowledge? What would you do then?”_

_“Ohhhh, a dominating boyfriend. Me likey!”*giggles*_

_“You-you are actually okay with such behaviour?”_

_“Hmmm. It just shows you care about me right?”_

_“I don't know whether you'll remember this conversation,but please know that it's not normal. Such a behaviour is called controlling your partner and it's never okay. Respect should be the basis of any relationship. On top of which should be love. Even if we break up, even if we don't end up together, I want you to remember that someone controlling your activities is not normal and it's never healthy”_

The recording ended. Eren looked at him with tears in his eyes. “I don't know why I recorded this but I did. And I listened to this today morning. I don't know why I did. But I did.I don't know what I did right to have someone like you in my life,Levi”,he said kissing his forehead,still sitting on his lap.

Levi watched him with his mouth agape. Eren was on his lap, kissing him in the middle of the day in his cabin. That was too much information to digest at once.

“We—we are still in office. I– we have a meeting–um–”,he stammered, trying to regain his senses.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I'll get the files ready”,said Eren, trying to get off Levi,when the older man just pulled him in for a hug.

Eren didn't waste a moment and returned the hug. “Why did you choose to be with me, Levi? And why do I feel so safe in your arms?”,asked Eren, tears freely flowing down his cheeks.

“I'm not doing anything special, Eren. I'm just treating you right. You don't have to thank me for it,or feel indebted to me”,he said rubbing circles on his back.

Eren lifted his head to look at the older man before he bent down to claim his lips again. 

When he parted, he said “I'm going to resign, Levi”

_**“What? Why?”**_ ,asked a startled Levi.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Reading Everyone!🎉

“What? Why?”,asked Levi, unable to understand Eren's line of thought. 

Eren kissed him one moment and wants to quit the next? Was this all a bad dream? Levi couldn't conclude.

“Because I want to tell the world that you're my boyfriend. That's why”,said Eren, looking into his eyes.

“But why do you want to quit? Our company doesn't have such strict policy regarding office romance–”

“How can I keep my hands off you, Levi?”,Eren interrupted.

“What?”,asked Levi, shock evident in his face.

“I can't be under the same roof as you and keep my hands off you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to not jump you right now? If I continue to work as your personal assistant, both of us will be on the street sooner or later, as neither of us will work. At least, I'll not let you work”,he said shrugging.

Levi was dumbstruck. Did his boyfriend just say he'll not be able to keep his hands off him? But that reason wasn't enough for him to quit. More like Levi didn't want him to quit. So he tried to make him stay.

“Eren, dont make such a rash decisi–”, Levi was shut down with another kiss. 

“ _ **This**_ will happen every single day if I stay”,he said pressing himself against Levi, and looking at him with eyes filled with lust.

Levi couldn't move a muscle. Those emerald pair of eyes were hovering over him like a fiend who was ready to devour him any minute. He gulped nervously. 

But before he could respond, they heard a knock on the door, startling both of them. Eren immediately got of Levi and adjusted his suit. He moved to towards the door and undid the latch to let the person in. 

It was Hange, wearing a devilish smirk. “May I come in?”,she asked, clearly mocking the state Levi was in. His eyes were unfocused, his breath uneven and his mouth open.

Levi just nodded. Eren let her in and closed the door behind her. 

“You guys are late for another meeting. We were getting worried. So I came to fetch you guys”,she said smugly.

Eren looked at Levi with guilt. He was the reason they didn't make it to the meeting. He opened his mouth to apologise when Levi cut him short. 

“We decided to sit this one out. We had some important plan to revise”,he said avoiding Hange's eyes.

“Is that so? How come I didn't receive the notice of your absence? Is Eren so bad at his job?”,she asked turning towards Eren and lifting his face with her index finger. 

Levi growled. “Let him go. It's not his fault. Let him go”

Hange wasn't ready to let it go though. “Tell me, Eren. Why didn't the board members didn't get this notice? Aren't you his assistant? He knows about the meeting but you don't? Just because you guys are–”

“I quit”,said Eren in a calm voice, cutting her short.

“What?”,asked Hange, in nothing more than a whisper.

“I quit”,he repeated.

She looked at Levi and then at Eren with an open mouth. _“Oh no, they really split up!”_ ,she thought, and trying to dissipate the tension in the room,she said,“Oh Eren, I know he is hard to deal with, but he is a nice guy. Give him one more chance. He needs you. Don't leave him!Please!”

Levi looked at her with confusion. “What? Who told you he is going to leave me?”,he asked with irritation.

“Isn't that what this is? He has been crying, you are pissed, the air is so tense in here. What else could it be than him splitting up with you?”,she said looking worriedly between Eren and Levi. 

“Its because I can't keep my hands off him”,said Eren exuding so much confidence. Accepting their relationship felt like he broke free from the invisible chains which were weighing him down. Having the weight lifted off his shoulder, he held his head high, eyes conveying the overwhelming pride he had whenever he saw his boyfriend.

“Wha–what?”,struggled Hange, unable to form a comprehensible sentence.

Levi was equally lost. Eren had finally accepted their relationship and was ready to let people know. A mixture of emotions were trying to break through his usually stoic face. Levi kept looking at Eren, his eyes slightly moist. 

Seeing neither Hange nor Levi was in any state to speak anytime soon, Eren continued. “I want to tell the world that he is my man. And I want to do so without being afraid of anyone or anything”

Hange looked at Eren with wide eyes. She finally realised the gravity of his words. For the first time in forever, her friend's stoic face held happiness behind it. And it was because of this young man standing in front of her. 

But she couldn't understand why Eren wanted to quit. He could just ask for a change of department. Legion corps was big enough to keep these two apart during work hours. They could go for days without encountering each other. That's how big was legion corps. She decided to voice her opinion.

“I understand. But you don't have to quit. Just ask for a change of department. I'll gladly take you under my wing”,she said patting Eren on his shoulder.

“Is it just me or it's actually the first time you've said something which makes sense?”, Levi made a snide remark.

“Im here trying to help you and you're trying to pass back handed comments? Oi shorty! It won't take much for me to turn you one of my test rats!”,she said, making them giggle at her comment.

“Thanks for the offer, but no. If I decide to stay and people find out about our relationship, those rumors will overshadow both of our achievements and drag our name through the mud. I don't want that to happen. But if you guys want to help, just write me a good recommendation”,said Eren.

Hange and Levi exchanged looks. Levi sighed. “Fine. You can submit your resignation letter once you get another job”,said Levi. Hange just looked at him defeatedly. She knew Levi couldn't let go of Eren, but he was willing to do what was best for Eren. Her heart went out to Levi. He truly was a gentleman.

But they were at work and before they got totally off the track, she decided to bring them back to the present.

“Putting all that aside, what are you guys going to do about the meeting? Literally everyone is waiting for you”,she said.

“Shit, tell them we are sitting this one out. I'll catch up with the MoM's”

“Okay. See you guys later!”

Hange left the two alone. Eren and Levi slowly went back to work after looking at each other for a long time.

_____________________

Levi met with Hange and Erwin for Lunch. They decided to go to a nearby restaurant. Levi and Hange filled in on what happened and why Levi didn't make it to the meeting to Erwin.

“Finally he grew a spine, huh?”,said Erwin,in turn receiving a death glare from Levi. He chuckled.

“So you guys are going back to normal lovers. Meeting once or twice a week instead of being Boss and assistant. Good. Some distance will help both of your clear your head”,he said continuing to eat.

“Why would we meet only once or twice a week? We are going to come back to my house”,said Levi. The whole table went silent. Few seconds later Levi realised what he had just blurted out. Only then he saw the impending doom in front of him. 

Eren and Levi weren't living together. And he hasn't even proposed that idea to Eren. But sub consciously, he thought living with Eren was the norm. Just because the burnett spent few nights at his place. 

His friends were able to read his line of thought. And could sense how lost he was. Reality once again turned out to be his foe. 

Hange spoke first. “You can talk about living together with hi–”

“And look desparate and needy? A 30 yr old man asking a man who is barely out of his teen years to live with him after dating him for no more than a week. Hmmm, I wonder how that's gonna sound”,Erwin cut her short.

“It's fine guys. We will figure it out. Relationships need compromise and adjustments. We will work things out”,he said looking away.

Hange cast a sideway glance at Erwin and immediately understood what she was thinking. 

_“Soul pairs”_

What could be the possible explanation for a man like Levi to be depressed about not being able to see his boyfriend everyday? The ruthless, cold and calculative Levi, once dubbed as emotionless man, was letting his emotions take lead. For someone he started dating a week ago.

Erwin wasn't convinced with what Hange said at first. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. There was only one thing which kept bugging him. There has never been a human-vampire soul pair in history of vampires. So how could there be one now? 

____________________

Levi was getting depressed by the minute. It finally dawned on him that he may not see Eren for weeks. He didn't want to ask Eren to live with him. He didn't want to put so much burden on his young boyfriend. But he didn't want to be away from him either. 

He knew Eren was the only one who could soothe his aching heart. But he, at the same time, was afraid of the words of rejection that could possibly come out of Eren's mouth. 

They ended their lunch on a grim note. Levi went back to work. Eren was in his cabin, working on few files. He was unable to take his eyes of him. Sensing someone was watching him intensely he shifted his gaze only to see Levi at the door. He smiled gently at him. 

No. There was no way in hell he could live without seeing Eren everyday. He was even ready to fight fate, if that's what he has to do make him stay next to him. Those emerald eyes held him captive. And he was willing to die a prisoner, if he could keep looking at those eyes.

He wasn't afraid anymore, for he knew not asking Eren would hurt him more. 

Levi walked towards Eren, without breaking eye contact and stood right in front of his desk. 

“What's up, Levi?”,asked Eren looking up.

 _ **“Do you want to move in with me?”**_ ,he asked Eren


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a roller coaster ride. I enjoyed writing this chapter so much! Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do! And to all those encouraging comments, thank you so much! Your comments keep me going and keep me trying harder to bring out the best chapters! Thank you! Happy Reading Everyone 💜

"Do you want to move in with me?",asked Levi.

Eren looked at him, his face devoid of any emotion. He didn't even dare to breath.

“Was that a stupid question? I'm sorry. Please forget that I asked you this”,said Levi, not getting a response from Eren. He slowly started to move towards his desk.

“Yes”,said Eren making Levi stop in his tracks.

“What? Yes? Ar–are you crazy? We haven't dated for more than a week but you're willing to move in with me? As I said,forget that I asked you this”,he said, all flustered.

“You're right. We haven't even been on a proper date. We don't know each other's like and dislike. But in 22 years of my life, I've never felt so safe, so loved and so respected. And I'll be a fool to let you live alone”,he slowly stood up from his seat and walked towards Levi, standing face to face with him as he finished speaking. 

“I will be lying if I told you I don't have my doubts and fear about this. But I know one thing for sure. I'll regret not taking you up on ypur offer. I don't know about you, but I'm afraid it will be hard for me to not see you everyday. Whether it's you scolding me or showering me with love. I want to have all of it. _**So will you allow me to move in with you?**_ ”,said Eren, holding Levi's hand with both of his.

“Ridiculous”,said Levi

Eren's smile disappeared on hearing it. He let go of Levi's hand and looked at the floor, his vision blurred by the tears, which threatened to fall without his permission.

“It's ridiculous that you're asking permission to come back to your own home”,said Levi, making Eren's head whip around and look at him.

“And it will always be your home, Eren”,he said, wiping away few stray tears.

“Okay”,said Eren, his lips quivering. “Ill move in as soon as possible so better clean up the place”,he said teasingly.

“Definitely”

Both of them couldn't wait to get home. Their home.

_____________________

“EREN! ARE YOU INSANE? YOU ARE MOVING IN WITH LEVI? NO PERSON IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD DO THIS, YOU KNOW?”,yelled Mikasa.

Eren was packing up his things, not paying much attention to Mikasa. He knew she meant well, but she was trying to pry more and more. Living with his friends felt like living with controlling parents. Even his own parents won't place so much restrictions on him. 

Seeing Eren wasn't responding to her, she entered his room and pulled everything out of the bag he had packed and threw it on the floor.

Eren snapped. “Mikasa. You're my best friend. And I want to keep it like that forever. Don't spoil our friendship coz of selfishness. Please understand we can be on separate paths and still be friends”

“Eren! We have known you for years. Do you think we are being selfish? We want the best for you! You have known that arrogant man for a week and you want to move in with him? I am not against your relationship. But living together? That's going overboard! What you have in his place that you don't have in here, Eren?”,she asked, veins popping up in her forehead. 

“Respect. I don't have respect for my decisions, Mika. That's what is not here”,he said, calmly packing his things again.

Mikasa was stunned into silence. She didn't expect Eren to talk this way to her. Whenever she raised her voice, Eren always compromised. He always gave in. Always. But now, he stood up for himself. Something she couldn't handle. It was a serious blow to her controlling alter ego.

Done with packing, he tried to walk out of the room. But Mikasa wasn't about to let that happen. She was determined to bring him down. To oblige to her commands again. Even if it meant destroying his mental stability.

“Bye”,said Eren, walking past her.

“I love you, Eren. So please stay. I wasn't shouting because I'm jealous. It's because no one can care for you more than I do. Don't go,Eren. There's no place safer than here. You are blinded by love, so you don't see how evil he is. I love you, so I can see who is trying to harm you. I can say for sure he is trying to harm you. So don't go. I'm pretty sure you also realised I love you,right? And that's why I'm so protective?”,she said, holding out her hand for him to take. 

Eren looked at her hand and then at her, his face contorted with anger.

“Just how controlling you want to be, Mikasa? I can make my own decisions. And if they are wrong, I'll face the consequences and learn from them. Everything is either a blessing or a lesson”,he said, using ‘Mikasa’ instead of ‘Mika’, showing their already strained relationship was about to end.

“And I never expected you to stoop so low. Don't carelessly throw the word ‘Love’ around. Because it actually means something to people. Good bye”,he said and walked out. 

Mikasa tried to chase after Eren, but Armin stopped her. “Let him go, Mikasa. Let him choose his own path. He is not your puppet”

It was the first time she saw Armin getting angry. And it was very scary. Mikasa stopped. But just for now.

___________________

Eren showed up at Levi's place, carrying two huge bags. Levi's heart raced when his door bell rang. He hoped to see a smiling and bubbling Eren on other side of the door. 

But what awaited him was disheartening. Eren's eyes were swollen and red. Tear leaving stains on honey colored skin.

“Come in”,he said, taking one of the bags from Eren.

Eren just dropped the bag on the floor once inside and hugged the older man. 

“Eren?”

“I'm home”,he cried.

“Welcome home”, Levi hugged him tighter.

Few minutes later, Eren moved away from Levi and picked up the bag and moved towards one of the rooms. 

“Can I take this–”

“Yes. You don't have to ask anything”,said Levi, a bit angry that Eren was still asking whether he can choose things and do stuff in their home. 

Eren placed his bag in the room he chose. Levi brought in the other bag. 

“Ill unpack tomorrow. I'm too tired”,said Eren.

“No pressure. Do it when you see fit”,said Levi, about to walk out of the room when Eren hugged him from behind. 

“Can– can we talk for a bit?”

“Yes, of course. Wanna move to the couch?”

“Hmmm”

Once on the couch, Eren lied down on Levi's lap, surprising the older man. Levi gently ran his hand through his hair. He could see Eren relax a bit. 

“I think I lost a best friend today”,he slowly opened up.

Levi didn't want to interrupt him. He just kept silent. 

“I never thought she would stoop so low. Do you know what she said to stop me from leaving? “I love you”. How can she use those words so casually? Those words mean nothing to her? I knew she was a bit cold, but didn't know she was so heartless”

“She took care of me from a very young age. She is like my sister and she knows it. Why would she lie and say she harbours feelings for me just to stop me from leaving?”,he cried, soaking Levi's cargos. 

Levi didn't know what to say. But he couldn't see Eren cry,it broke his heart. “At times, people we trust the most and love the most have the capacity to hurt us the most. I am sorry that you've to go through something like this. I am not the best at giving advice, but why don't you guys let things cool down? Why don't you try talking to her after both of you have cooled your heads off?”

“Levi, do you have siblings?”

Levi paused. “Uh, no. I don't. I am sorry”

“Sorry? Why are you sorry?”

“I am trying to understand what you're going through as much as I can, but as you already know I don't have that many friends and no siblings. I want to help you, but I'm afraid I'll be insensitive to your feelings”,he said, guilt written all over his face.

Eren smiled. He took Levi's hand which was caressing his head and kissed it. “If you're being insensitive, I'll let you know. You're doing fine as of now”,he said reassuring Levi.

Levi smiled and nodded. They both were silent for some time. He could see Eren calm down. So he asked,“Hungry? Want to eat something?”

“I am hungry. But for something else”,said Eren, sitting up.

“Oh sure. What do you want me to order?”,said Levi pulling out his phone.

Eren took the phone from his hand and put it aside. “Not that, this”,he said and kissed Levi. Levi was startled. When Eren pulled apart, Levi asked,“Are you sure this is what you want now?”

“This is what I've wanted since morning. There was a little hiccup in the middle, but I don't want the day I moved in to be such a sober one”,he said moving to sit on top of Levi.

Levi still didn't move a muscle. He didn't want Eren to use sex as his coping mechanism. He was still hesitant.

“Are you sure you are not doing this–” “Hmmph! Hmmph!” “…………Uh! Ah! Eren! Stop! Listen to me”, struggled Levi.

“What?”,Eren asked, his voice filled with lust, out of breath from kissing Levi.

“Of course I want to make love to you. But not if you think you can use it as a coping mechanism. If you want to talk, I'll listen. And if it doesn't help, we will find someone who can help. So please calm down”,said Levi, holding both of Eren's arms.

“You never get the hint, do you? And they call you one of the brightest minds of Legion corps. I wonder how”,he said, slightly angry that Levi still didn't get that Eren was actually turned on and it has nothing to do with his fight and sex wasn't his means of finding comfort.

“Eren…But–”

“Do me right now!”,he leaned in, and whispered in a dangerously low tone, all the while his hands playing with Levi's inner thighs. 

It sent sparks flying in Levi and all hell broke loose. Levi grabbed him by the waist and slammed him into the couch, earning him a gasp.

He kissed till Eren was completely out of breath. The intensity and ferocity had Eren thoroughly excited. But he knew what awaited him. He suggested that they moved to his room, where he had ample lube for this purpose, but Levi just couldn't think straight. 

His eyes looked an animal's, who was deprived of cardinal pleasure all his life. It scared Eren. He was going to be devoured. Again. Levi was sucking on his collar bone so hard, all the while his free hand finding a way to his nipples.

“Levi, please!”,he pleaded, his breath hitching. It brought him back to his sense for few seconds, enough to comprehend what his partner was asking him to do.

He quickly moved to the bedroom and placed Eren on the bed. 

“Backpack!”,Eren said, breathing hard.

Levi just emptied the entire content on the floor and picked up condoms and lube.

Not letting the heat cool down, he quickly moved to the bed and undid all of Eren's clothes, turning him into a ball of shyness. 

He proceeded to kiss every inch of Eren, rejoicing in the reaction he got for his actions. 

He made full use of the lube to avoid what happened the first time. By the time Levi had finished prepping him up, Eren was a panting mess. 

And it turned something on in Levi. He started to pepper kisses and bites all over Eren's inner thighs and moved upwards in an excruciatingly slow pace. 

“Ah! Ah! Levi, no! Ah!”,moaned Eren.

“Levi! Please! Stop! Ah! Aah!”

But Levi didn't listen. Not with Eren's back arching with every kiss and bite. Levi missed it out the first time, but not today. 

He took his own sweet time. Teasing, loving,and worshipping Eren. Eren was at his limit. He beggged Levi to enter him, but the latter paid no heed.

Eren decided to topple him over but failed miserably due to huge difference in power. Instead, he was pinned under Levi, rendered completely immobile. 

“Levi, please! I–Im about to– I'm at my limit! Please!”,he pleaded again.

But the teasing didn't stop.Lips,Nape,collar,nipples,waist,thighs. Every inch was covered with Levi's scent.

Finally, when Levi was satisfied with his share of Eren, he decided to give what Eren had wanted all along. What he wanted all along. 

Slowly, very slowly, he entered Eren. Eren was already at the brim. It didn't take much to reach his climax. But what he didn't know was the other part was beginning just now. 

Levi kept hitting his sweet spots with every thrust. Eren's moans grew louder. No stone was left unturned that day. If there was any spot Levi didn't know about previously, now he was fully aware of them. He figured stimulating what parts simultaneously earned him the loudest moan. 

Levi took his time to read his lover like a book. Knowing someone intimately like this was a different shade of naked. Levi connected with Eren, unlocking a part of his soul,and Eren his. At the end, Eren was a complete mess physically, but has never been whole like this, mentally and emotionally ,ever in his life. 

Both of them lost track of time, absorbed in their own little bubble. It was almost dawn when the two finally fell asleep.

______________________

Levi woke up first. He immediately turned to check on Eren. Their first time was more of a disaster. He wanted to make sure Eren wasn't in any kind of discomfort. 

He was able to find love bites all over, but not much of bruises like the first time. Eren began to stir due to all the examination. 

“Levi…?”,he asked, his eyes half closed, his voice raspy.

“Hey. Good morning. How are you feeling? Is there any pain?”

“I am fine, Levi. Don't worry so much”

“Really? Well, how is your back? Is there any pain?”,he asked, lifting the blanket and trying to get a closer look.

“Levi! I'm fine. Stop worrying!”,he said, catching his hand before he embarrassed him.

“Okay. Can you stand? You want me to take you to the bathroom?”

“Hey! I'm fine! Just stop!”,he said, hitting Levi lightly in his chest.

“If there is any discomfort, please let me know. Don't hesitate”,said Levi with a worried look.

“I will. Now just go and get ready”,he said pushing Levi out of the bed.

Eren slept for some more time while Levi got ready. Levi woke him up with breakfast and coffee. 

“Thank you, Levi”,he said before eating.

“You can come to office once you're ready. If you want, you can even take a day off”,said Levi, kissing his forehead. He then turned to look in the mirror to adjust his tie.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”,Eren asked, looking at Levi through the mirror.

“Hmmm?”

_**“Is it possible to fall for the same person again and again everyday?”** _


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you all for your invaluable support! Happy Reading 💜

“Is it possible to fall for the same person again and again everyday?”,asked Eren.

Levi stood rooted to the spot and looked at Eren through the mirror. 

After some time, Levi said,“I don't know, but I wish to find out too”,with an assuring smile.

“Im going out now. Take care. See you soon”,said Levi after getting ready.

“Yup. See you”,said Eren, finishing his breakfast.

_________________  
An hour later, Eren also got ready and left for office. He kept searching for another job in the side. Many companies showed interest in his profile, but nothing clicked for him. 

That day was packed with meetings.Neither of them had time to even breathe. At the end of the day, they were both exhausted. 

Once home, Eren just sank into the chair. Levi was exhausted as well, but he decided to cook. Eren felt bad for letting him do all the work. So he decided to help him out.

“Go back, Eren. You're exhausted”,said Levi

“But so are you”,refuted Eren, hugging the raven haired man from behind.

“My "exhausted" is different from your “exhausted”. Go and take some rest”,said Levi, trying to make him leave.

But Eren didn't budge. “No. If you're cooking, then I'm helping”,he said picking up the chopping board and chopping the vegetables.

Levi slightly shook his head.“Suit yourself”,he said, going back to kneading the dough. 

They finished cooking sometime later and sat down for dinner. Levi could tell Eren was half asleep. 

“If you were so tired, why did you help me out in the kitchen?”,asked Levi.

“If I didnt help, I'll fell like a freeloader. I don't want to feel that way. I don't want to be bothersome”,he answered, stuffing his mouth with food.

Levi was quiet for sometime. He kept looking at Eren, till Eren meet his gaze. 

“Whats up? Not eating? It's awesome. You're an amazing cook”,said Eren gulping down the food.

“Eren”

“Hmm?”,he said, muffled due to all the food he had stuffed in his mouth.

“You understand I expect nothing from you, right? Whether you help around or not, will change nothing between us”,he said with a serious look.

Eren stopped eating and looked up at him. “Um, yeah. I get it. But that's me taking your kindness for granted. Let's meet each other half way, Levi. Whether it's meeting each other's expectations or household chores"

“You mean, give-and-take? That's what you're striving to achieve?”,asked Levi

" _‘Relationships are give-and-take’_ , is an overused and generic statement. Give what and take what? Give how much and take how much? No, Levi. I don't agree with it. And I also don't agree when people say relationships need compromises. Compromise what? My passion? My Morales? My principles? My identity? Do we need to maintain a relationship, destroying everything which makes us who we are ? Is that even a relationship?”,Eren spoke really fast.

Levi was just silent, absorbing every word Eren was saying. 

Seeing Levi had no response, he continued.

“Im doing it coz I want to do it. Yes, I feel bad when only you're working and it feels like I'm slacking off. But never once I thought it was a give and take. I genuinely want to help you out. And I expect the same from you. Don't do it coz you're obliged to. Do something because you really want to do it. Especially, in our relationship”

Levi just kept looking at him.With overwhelming pride. With such calm and peace, like the one you have when you finally understand why you are on this planet Earth. But how did he turn out to be so lucky? How can he be blessed with Eren when he had been nothing but an asshole to people? But something grim gripped his heart. What if he were to lose Eren? What if fate decided to play it's dice game and took Eren away from him? 

Will his life turn monochrome again? Will life rob him of all this color it had given him without him asking for it? His demons were roaring louder than usual, trying to eat away the happiness he was feeling. 

Oblivious to this, Eren just kept eating, prompting Levi to do the same. Levi picked at his food, unable to take his eyes of Eren. 

Eren fell asleep almost immediately after dinner. Levi carried him to their room and laid him down. Levi got into the bed and held him close, afraid the morning will take away Eren, and all of this would just be a dream. 

_____________________

Eren woke up first. Only to find Levi holding him close enough to hear his heartbeat. It had a nice rhythm to it. It calmed him down. 

Giving Levi a small peck on his cheek, he got up, without disturbing him. 

He decided to surprise Levi. He went to the kitchen to make coffee for both of them. What he thought would be a beautiful day turned into a dreadful one when he heard Levi scream on top of his lungs. 

“EREN! EREN! EREN!”, screamed Levi, like a crazy hound.

He came out of the kitchen to find Levi at the doorway of their bedroom, disheveled and at the verge of tears. His eyes showed he was terrified. But of what? Eren couldn't comprehend.

“Levi? Is everything alright? You okay?”, he asked, moving towards him.

“Why…why are you in the kitchen?”, Levi stammered. 

“I was trying to make some coffee for both of us. Is everything alright?”,he lead Levi to the couch and made him sit.

Levi just kept breathing hard, one hand on Eren's thigh and another supporting his head. It took some time for him regain his senses.

Eren just sat silently next to him. He didn't want to make it worse for Levi. 

“Im sorry. I had a bad dream. I shouldn't have freaked out. I'm sorry I startled you”,said Levi. His hands were ice cold. Eren understood it must have been a really bad dream to have someone like Levi shaken up like this. 

“If you don't mind, may I ask what happened?”,asked Eren.

Levi woke up. And Eren was not next to him. Levi panicked. Was everything just a dream? Did life really take Eren from him? He turned cold in fear. He felt nauseating and all that anxiety almost made him puke. His entire body was trembling. He wasn't going to tell him that though.

“Just — just a bad dream, Eren. I'm sorry for startling you”,he said, holding his head with both his hands. Eren could see the shivers. 

Without hesitating, Eren hugged him tight. Levi was trembling. “Hey, don't apologise. There's nothing to apologise for. I'm sorry I wasn't next to you when you woke up”

Levi hated himself. He was the one who needed Eren. Yet, he refused to reach out to him first. Instead, he waited till Eren reached out, pulling him out of the abyss. How can he want something so bad, yet refuse to take a step towards it?

Levi calmed down, only to realise he didn't want Eren to let go. He just rested his head on Eren's shoulder. Levi didn't move for a long time. He had no will. 

“Want some coffee? It will warm you up. You're freezing”,said the younger man.

Levi slowly moved away from him and nodded. He didn't want the younger man to get out of sight. But he didn't want to worry Eren anymore than he already did. 

Eren fetched both of them coffee and handed a cup to Levi. “Do you want to talk about it?”,asked Eren, treading waters.

Levi shook his head. Eren eased back in his chair and they both had their coffees in silence.

“Ill make breakfast. You can go and get ready”,said Eren picking up both the cups and moving towards the kitchen.

Levi didn't move a muscle. He was ashamed. He let Eren see how weak he was. He should have been his anchor. Not the other way around. He kept looking at the floor, unable to see Eren in his eyes. 

Eren returned from the kitchen, to find Levi still on the couch. 

“Hey, you okay?”,asked Eren, approaching him.

“This is not me. I'm not weak”,he said in a small voice.

“What?”

“Im not weak. It's–its just bad timing. That's all”,he said, still looking down.

“Weak? I don't get it? Why would I think you are weak?”,he asked, confused.

“All that yelling and freaking out. You probably think I'm this weak. I'm not. This is just one time–”

“So, is that how you see me? Weak and fragile?”, interrupted Eren

Levi looked up at him with his mouth open. “No,No. That's not what I mean. You got it wrong–”

“I don't think I've got it wrong, Levi. If breaking down and being scared means being weak, then you've always seen me as someone who needs protection. Someone below you”,he said, tearing up.

Levi stood up. “No, Eren. That's not what I meant–”,Levi paused when Eren put up his hand.

“Let's not have this conversation now. Focus on feeling better. I'll start making the breakfast”,he said and moved away from Levi.

“Shit”,he swore under his breath. He didn't want Eren to think he was weak, but never once he thought Eren was weak. He just wanted reassure Eren that he was fine. 

There was an awkward silence between them throughout the day. Levi could tell Eren was upset, but didn't bring it up with Levi in order to not make him feel worse than he already did. 

___________________

Hange and Erwin came to their cabin in the noon. They could tell there was something going on between the two. 

“Whats up?”,asked Levi, not really paying much attention to them

“We have enough evidence against Reiner. I think it's time to kick him out of here for good”,said Hange

Levi wore a surprised look. Amidst all that was happening, he totally forgot about Reiner. He mentally kicked himself. How could he forget about that scum? 

“Yeah. Right. What all have we got against him?”,asked Levi.

“Um, sorry to interrupt. Do you guys want me out of here before you start discussing about this?”,asked Eren.

Hange and Erwin exchanged looks. And then looked at Levi. 

“Suit yourself”,said Levi, trying to avoid his eyes.

Eren excused himself and walked out of the cabin. Hange and Erwin began to show the evidences to Levi.

Reiner truly was a scum. He had sabotaged so many people. Messed with so many interns. The employees were more than ready to testify against him. 

While the discussion was going on, Eren headed to the cafeteria. To his dismay, he spotted Armin and Mikasa. He tried to walk out, but Armin saw him first and called out to him.

Hesitantly, he walked towards his friends. “Hey”,he said, trying to avoid looking them in their eyes. 

“Hey, want something to eat?”,asked Armin. Mikasa was silent. She kept looking at her coffee cup. 

“No, I'm fine. So what's up?”

Armin looked at Mikasa, with a look prompting her to speak. When she didn't make an attempt to open her mouth, Armin sighed. 

“Im sorry, Eren. What happened that day, we shouldn't have done that. We don't understand your choice yet, but that gives us no right to behave the way we did. Mikasa feels the same way”,said Armin, nudging her to speak.

“…I'm sorry”,she said, hesitantly.

Eren didn't say anything and just turned his head to the side. Three of them sat in silence. 

Eren slowly started to speak.“I would be lying if I told you I'm not angry with you. You threw away our friendship in a second for your selfishness. And no explanation you give can justify it. Things can't go back to the way they were. At least, not yet”,he said looking at Mikasa.

She wanted to argue and say his choice was wrong and it's going to turn into a disaster, but wisdom dictated better. She kept quiet. 

“I understand, Eren. I am not asking you to get over it this minute, but I hope you can put it behind us in the future”,said Armin.

“I hope so too, Armin. I really, badly want to. But it's going to take some time. I hope time is kind to us”,said Eren with downcast eyes.

Armin just nodded. Mikasa was silent throughout the conversation. Eren checked his watch. “Its getting late, guys. See you later”

“Yeah. See you later”

Eren walked for some distance and sighed once he was out of their sight. He was at the verge of tears. He didn't want to face his friends until he made peace with his own feelings. What happened with Levi in the morning didn't help him either. 

_**“Did I really make a wrong decision?”**_ ,wondered Eren.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a looooong chapter! Hope you guys like it! Happy reading! 💜

“Did I really make a wrong decision?”, thought Eren

He returned to the cabin to find it empty. _"Levi must have left with the others"_ ,thought Eren,just to be startled by him, as he entered the room behind Eren, with two cups of coffee. 

“Coffee?”,asked Levi, extending one of the cups.

“Yeah,thanks”,Eren didn't refuse. He just didn't have the strength to say no and hold the conversation which would follow his rejection.

Levi could tell Eren was trying to talk as less as he could. He could tell the younger man was exhausted. Mentally and physically. 

_“Is this how it's going to be from now on?”_ ,he worried. He had so much to say, his heart hating him for not letting those words flow out of him, his mind begrudgingly focusing on work instead of Eren. 

Eren sipped on coffee while going through a file. But only after a while it struck him how bizzare this was. He was having coffee in **_‘Levi's’_** cabin. 

The man who was stringent about food inside the workspace, brought him a cup of coffee and let him have it at his desk. Eren looked at Levi, who kept looking at his own coffee cup with disdain. Food inside his cabin bothered him way too much, but he put up with it because he wanted the younger man to feel better. 

Eren couldn't suppress his laughter. He laughed out loud, startling Levi. Seeing Levi scowl over coffee was too much for him

“Is—is everything alright?”, asked Levi. 

Eren just looked at him before getting up and walking over to his table. 

He bent down and kissed the older man. Levi automatically leaned in to the kiss. 

“Thanks for the coffee”,said Eren, parting. 

He could see hesitation in Levi's eyes when he tried to move away. Eren sighed.

“Yeah, I'm still upset about what happened. But no, we are not letting it get in between us. We can talk about it later. When we both are in a better place mentally”

Levi just nodded. “But, I don't mind getting another one”,he said.

“Another Coffee?”,asked Eren

“No,not coffee”,he said standing up. “This”,he said pulling the burnett in for a kiss.

Eren gave in for a moment, but almost immediately he stammered back, saying,“Levi! We are still in office! My god!”,in a hushed whisper.

“But you kissed me,too”,he rebutted.

Eren was all flustered and he tried to flee but Levi's hold was unyielding. 

“Im sorry. I'm so new to all this relationship stuff that I keep messing up. Will you just be patient with me till I get it right?”,asked Levi earnestly,his eyes mirroring the sincerity in his voice. 

“Yes. But so will I. So, will you be patient with me as well?”,said Eren.

“Yeah. Always”,he gave him a small smile. 

Eren didn't know Levi was the type to connect with his partner on an emotional level. He was very happy that is boyfriend was so in tune with his feelings, but he wasn't sure why it turned him on so much. He was toying with a dangerous idea in his head. Something which will turn out to be a disaster for him. He decided to give a voice to that dangerous idea.

Eren bent down slowly, his wet lips almost touching Levi's ears, his hot breath on Levi's neck, sending tingling sensation all over. 

“But Levi, why do you turn me on so much when you're so vulnerable?”,he whispered, his lips grazing over his ear as he spoke.

He straightened up to see Levi. He shivered. Levi met his gaze with such intensity that it sent shivers down his spine. He was afraid, but at the same time excited. Eren knew he had the older man's full attention. He knew he could play Levi like a toy now. And he giggled at that thought. 

“So how did it go with Hange and Erwin?”,Eren casually changed the subject, willing to test Levi's patience.

“Eren, do you know what you are doing?”,asked Levi, taking deep breaths. 

“Just being honest with my feelings?”,he said, trying to act cute, and went back to his seat. 

But that's all he could remember before he realised he was pinned down on the floor by Levi. He stared at a feral looking Levi, with wide eyes, and an open mouth.

Levi saddled him, pinning both of Eren's hands above his head with one hand and holding his face with the other. Eren froze, the intensity in Levi's gaze was enough to freeze him on spot. 

“Listen here, you brat”, Levi said gritting his teeth. 

“Ive already warned you not to do that. You must have a death wish to do it again. Remember what I told you the first time?”,he asked Eren menacingly.

Eren wasn't able to answer. He just kept looking at the man in horror. He had slowly come back to his senses and he realised how it didn't make sense how fast he was pinned down by Levi. The only place he had seen people move so fast was on movies and TV shows. So how did Levi pin him down so fast? Or he was just out of it that he felt as if the time slowed down? He was lost in his thoughts.

Only when Levi tightened his grip on his face, Eren came back to reality. He still couldn't answer Levi's question. But Levi wasn't backing down. Not anymore. 

“What. Did. I. Say?”,he asked again,his terrifying aura making Eren tremble. 

“Th–that you'll dev–devour me re–regardless of–f the time and place”,he stuttered. 

“Right. So why are you testing my patience?"

Eren didn't answer. He just trembled under Levi. 

“So,now you're going to face the consequences”,he said, before kissing him till both of them ran out of breath. He only parted for a second before diving in to claim those plump lips again. Eren was helplessly heaving beneath Levi.

Eren would have been devoured completely if it weren't for the knock at the door. 

“Mr.Ackerman, May I come in?”,asked a feeble voice. It was Petra.

“Shit”,Levi swore under his breath.

He thought not making a noise would make her leave, but no. She knocked again. He wasn't happy about her relentless knocking.

“What do you want?”,he asked in an irritated voice.

“There are few documents which you need to review and sign. Can you please take a look at it?”,she asked from the other side of the door, her voice slightly trembling.

“Tch,drop by later”,he commanded.

Eren regained his senses slowly. “Levi,let go”,he said, his voice nothing more than a whisper.

Levi looked right in his eyes without uttering a word. It felt like he was staring at a beast. Eren squirmed under him, trying to free himself, but Levi just tightened his hold, making him wince.

“How did you turn from a loving boyfriend to a ferocious beast in less than a second?”,he asked, startling Levi.

Levi slowly loosened his grip, letting Eren sit up straight. His words gave him an eerie feeling. When Eren called him a _‘beast’_ , Levi somehow felt that he actually meant it. Afraid of exposing his true self, he let go of Eren. 

“Ouch!”, yelped Eren on touching his lips. It was swollen red. 

“Argh, I'll not be able to go out for a while now”,he said getting up and dusting his clothes. It took him few minutes to realise Levi hadn't moved from his spot. He remained kneeled on the ground, staring intently at the ground where Eren was previously pinned. 

“Levi?”,he asked softly, touching his shoulders.

“You really think that, don't you?”,he asked still looking at the floor.

“Think that? Think what?”,asked Eren, a bit confused.

“That I'm a beast”,he said, his eyes unblinking, having such a serious note behind them.

“What? No! That was jus–”,Eren was cut short when Levi stood up abruptly

“You know what? You're right. Let's talk again when both of us are mentally stable”,he said and walked out of the cabin in a blink of an eye.

“What?”,said a confused Eren, feeling he had unknowingly offended the older man.

________________________

The time passed without much interaction between the two of them. Somehow suddenly everything turned very awkward between them. Now it was Eren who wanted to clear the misunderstanding between them. 

He thought the car ride would be better, but it turned out to be worse as the confined space made the awkwardness more evident. Eren just looked out the window the whole ride.

Once home, Levi went to cook dinner as usual. Eren changed into PJ's and stood at the kitchen doorway.

“Levi?”,he called out to him softly.

“Yes?”,he said, an automatic response when his mind is elsewhere.

“Look at me, please”,he said, tears choking him.

Levi immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at him.

“What's happening between us,Levi? I don't understand”,he said, tears threatening to fall.

“Nothing's happening, Eren. Don't overthink and worry”

“Then why have you been avoiding me?”,he asked with a shaky voice

“No, I haven't”,he said, his voice dry.

“You barely spoke to me since afternoon”

“We both were busy. And there wasn't much to talk about”

“Nothing much? Today morning you screamt my name in your dream and now you have nothing much to say?”

“I told you it's nothing but a bad dream. So please stop holding on to it”

“You are kidding me, right? You had a bad dream about me and yet it has nothing to do with me?”

“Eren, let's stop here. It's becoming a nuisance”,he said irritatedly. He could clearly sense Eren was upset, but he was afraid that he would let the truth slip if they argued anymore. Hiding the truth was eating away a part of his soul.

But Eren's heart broke. “Do you find me to be a nuisance?”, raising his voice a bit in anger.

“Eren. If you're going to keep twisting my words, then we are not having this conversation”,he said and went back to cooking. 

Eren broke down completely. He didn't want to be in the house anymore. He suddenly turned claustrophobic and felt like the walls were closing in on him. He picked up whatever he could and left the house.

He ran as far as his legs could carry him. He ended up in a children's playground 6 blocks from his place. He sat down in the sand box and cried his heart out. 

Eren calmed down after a long time. Only then he checked his hand to see what he had brought with him. His wallet. Just his wallet. Not even his phone. He sighed. He had no idea where he was or where he should go. 

He just sat there and looked up at the stars. It had a calming effect on him to his surprise. 

“Ah…what has my life come to?”,he asked no one in particular.

“Eren?”,called out a female voice, startling him.

He turned to see the source of sound to find a short, blond woman approaching him. 

“Historia?”,he asked in shock.

“Wow,it really is you! It's been a long time!”,she said rushing towards him.

“My god! How have you been?”,he stood up and hugged her.

“Great, actually. What about you? You look like you ran away from home”,she said, laughing but stopped as soon as she saw his face turned grim.

“Um, so where do you stay?”,she asked.

“Uh, ha”,he laughed in a beat down manner.

“Whats up?”

“Right now? I'm in the middle of the street”,he said, giving her a silly smile.

She just eyed him for a minute. This man was in a playground in the night with just his PJ's. She could guess it was some fight with his beloved. She slightly shook her head.

“Well, my house is near. Do you want to drop by?”,she offered.

He nodded. Anywhere was better than Levi's apartment. They both went inside her house. She offered him coffee.

They were both silent for sometime be she began to speak. “So Eren, are you working somewhere?”

“Oh, um, yeah. In legion corps, IT sector. PA for Ackerman”

“You're kidding me!You're his PA? Wow! That must be one heck of a job!”,she said with so much excitement.

“Haha,yeah. But I'm actually looking for another job now. Ah,forget it. What about you?”,he said just twirling the coffee cup with his hand.

“You're looking for another job?”,she asked, sitting at the edge of her seat, completely ignoring his question.

“Um,yeah. Things didn't work out well there. So I'm looking for another job”

“Well, I'm CEO of a start up. It's a tech startup. Would you like to join my team? As a lead developer? Coz I know you can't be that mans' PA without decent knowledge in coding and analysis”,she looked at him expectantly.

“Startup?”,he asked, taken aback by all the new information he and received in the last few seconds.

“Yeah, Toria tech, from my name Historia”,she giggled. Eren was silent for some time. Trying to process all the information.

“I understand if you need tim–”,she was interrupted when Eren spoke.

“Ill take it. The sooner the better”,he said.

“Whoa! That quick? I mean, the pay won't be as much as legio–”

“Ill take it”,he interrupted again.

She looked at him with pity. She understood he was going through a tough time. _It's a given when you're working for someone like Levi Ackerman_ ,she thought.

“Fine. Meet me in my office tomorrow”,she said.

“Yeah, sure. Where is it again?”

“Legion corps, B2”,she gave a pitiful smile.

“What?”,he asked in disbelief.

“Ah, yeah. We are doing a small project in collaboration with them. And Mr. Ackerman will be acting as our mentor till we complete this project”

He just stared at her in disbelief. He just wanted to stay as far away from Levi as he could, but destiny kept putting them in the same room. He wanted to disappear right at the moment and never look back. He just held his head and sighed.

“But hey, it's only for two months. We will finish it and move onto to other projects. So I promise it gets better!”,she tried to reassure him.

He just nodded. He silently thanked Historia for not trying to pry into his personal affair, and at the same time understanding he had some trouble at his workplace without him putting it into words. He agreed to help her out and take up the job, so he didn't want to go back on his words. 

“Ill give my notice tomorrow. I'll probably start working for you guys next week or so”,he said in a small voice

“Gotcha! Hey, it's pretty late. Why don't you stay here for the night?”,she asked.

Eren was too tired to think straight. He totally forgot that he didn't bring his phone along with him to let Levi know where he was or that he should borrow a phone and call him. He just nodded and went to sleep in the spare room.

___________________________

Levi heard the door being shut closed. He thought Eren just locked himself in the room. So when he finished cooking he called out to the younger man.

“Eren? Dinner's ready. Come out”

No response.

“Eren? Are you asleep?”,he knocked on the door. No response. 

Sighing,he opened the door. He expected to see the young man curled up in a corner of their bed,under the sheets.

But the room was empty. 

He checked the bathroom to see if the younger man was there. It was empty. His heart was beating faster with every door he opened. 

He checked the spare room and bathroom as well only to find them empty. He grew cold in fear. And then it finally dawned on him. The door which was closed wasn't their bedroom door but the main door to the house.

Eren had run away from home. Like a teenager who fought with his parents.He was breaking down in cold sweats. His mind stopped working. What was he supposed to do now. And then he saw his phone. _‘Ill try calling him. He'll definitely answer’_ ,he thought. His hands shivered when he reached for his phone. 

He called his number in haste only hear it ring in the other room. His heart sank. Eren had left his phone behind and fled the house. 

He grabbed his car keys and ran out of the house. He took his phone out again and called Erwin.

“Hi, Levi. What a surprise! Wh–”

“Call Armin and check if Eren is with him!”,he yelled into the phone.

“Why? What happened?”,he asked, already on his way to make the call.

“Please. Just call him”,he pleaded. Erwin was taken aback. He yelled at him one minute and pleaded the next. Levi was not a person to have such mood swings. 

“Yeah. I am calling him. Hang on. Where are you?”,he asked, trying to hold the conversation with him.

“Im driving around to find him. I'm not sure where he is!”

“Okay. Calm down. I'll call Hange and Armin and get back to you”,he said. 

“Okay”,he said and ended the call.

Erwin contacted Armin to find out he had not contacted them since that afternoon. He didn't waste a minute to call Hange.

“Hey,Erwy. What's up?”,answered Hange.

“So this soul pair research you are doing. How much of it is true?”,he asked hastily.

“Oooh! It's the second time you've been interested in this idea of mine! You like it that much?”,he giggled

“Well, I really don't want to. But I haven't seen Levi have mood swings about someone running away from his house. So, here we are”,he said.

“Eren did what now?”,she yelled.

“Ya,Erwin! Tell me the important thing first! Where is Eren? Did Levi find him out yet?”,she spoke fast.

“He is driving around to look for him. Looks like these two had a fight. And he ran away. And our dear friend has stopped using his brain to think and has let his emotions take the lead”

“Yo,Erwin. Why are you telling me such interesting things over the phone without any excitement? I'm coming down to your place!”,she said and ended the call before he could turn her down.

Erwin sighed. _‘Shit, Levi. You are smitten. When are you going to open your eyes and see it?’_ ,he thought.

He called Levi and told him that Eren wasn't at his friend's place. “Shit”,he heard Levi swear.

“Hange and I will also look for him. Drive safe for now”,he said.

But Levi ended the call without a reply. Hange joined him half an hour later. She had called her friends in police department to look out for Eren.

Levi spent more than five hours searching for Eren. He kept driving around till he didn't know where he was. He went back to Eren's childhood house, but he wasn't there as well. Frustrated, he banged his fists on the steering wheel, honking loud and startling few stray cats. 

He heard his phone ring. For a moment he thought it was Eren and picked it up so fast only to find out it was Hange. Hoping at least she had luck finding Eren, he attended the call 

“Levi, you need to come back. It's 3 am in the morning”

“No. Not until I find him”,he said sternly.

“Look, Levi. My police friends have issued a BOLO. If they find him, they'll return him as soon as possible. You need to get your ass back here and take some rest”

Levi wanted to cry. He could still remember the young man standing at the kitchen doorway with tears in his eyes, trying to make him talk. He should have held on to that innocent face and apologized for making him cry. He should have opened his heart to Eren. So,why didn't he?

His insides were eating him out from all the stress and fear. Did Eren really leave him? This thought haunted him. 

He was silent on the phone for a long time, worrying Hange. “Levi?”,she called out softly.

He didn't respond.“Im sure he's safe. So come back now”

“What if he left me forever? What then? What am I supposed to do?”

“Levi, he is not going anywhere. Try to give him some space and trust him. He's going to come back”,she tried to reassure him. 

It hadn't even been a day since he left. So, she wasn't sure why Levi so flustered and angry. 

But it just provided her with more evidence that her theory was going in the right direction. She now strongly believed Levi and Eren were soul pairs. 

What else could break a man of Levi's stature to a mere nothingness if it was not for his soul pair?

Having no more place to search, he drove back to his place. Hange and Erwin were at his place. He was exhausted. But he wasn't able to sleep. He sank into the chair facing the door, waiting for Eren to open the door and greet him with a smile. 

Hange and Erwin slowly drifted to sleep but he couldn't. He could feel the time go excruciatingly slow, each minute making him drown deeper in his dark abyss. 

Around 6:30 am, he heard the door knob being turned and watch the younger man enter the house sleepily. 

But the first thing that caught his eye was Levi sitting on the chair with bloodshot eyes. 

“Levi?”,he called out, unable to believe his own eyes.

The older man just stood up and walked over to him. Eren flinched, afraid that Levi was going to hit him. 

But the older man stood in front of him, lifted his hand, gently caressed his face and asked,

_**“Where were you so long,Eren?”** _


End file.
